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OR,  THE 

MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD 


JESUS  CHRIST; 

WITH 

A  SUPPLEMENT,  TOUCHING  THE  THEORIES 

OF  THE 

REV.  DR.  BUSHNELL. 

BY  ROBERT  TURNBULL. 

SECOND  EDITION. 

HARTFORD : 

BROCKETT,  FULLER,  AND  CO. 

NEW  YORK  ;—G  P  PUTNAM  E  II.  FLETCHER  BOSTON  GOULD, 

KENDALL,  AND  LINCOLN. 

M  DCCC  XL1X. 


Entered,  according. to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1848, 

By  Robert  Turnbull, 

in  the  Clerk’s  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Connecticut. 


STEREOTYPED  BY 

RICHARD  H .  HOBBS, 

HARTFORD,  CONN. 


PRINTED  BY 

CASE,  TIFFANY  AND  CO.,* 

HARTFORD,  CONN. 


i 


TO 

THE  REV.  JOEL  HAWES,  D.  D.f 

AND 


THE  CIRCLE  OF  CLERGYMEN  WITH  WHOM 
THE  AUTHOR 

IS  ACCUSTOMED,  SO  PROFITABLY  AND  PLEASANTLY,  TO  MEET 

IN  WEEKLY  CONFERENCE, 

THIS  VOLUME,  IN  ILLUSTRATION  AND  DEFENCE  OF  SOME  OF 
THE  CARDINAL  TRUTHS  OF  OUR  COMMON  CHRISTIANITY, 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/theophanyOOturn 


puOHth T Y  Qp~ 

PRIITCETOH 

DEC.  APR  1831 
THEOLOGICAL 


PEEFACE. 


The  object  of  the  following  work  is  not  polemical,  but  practical. 
Still,  we  have  endeavored,  within  the  limits  assigned  us,  to  make  the 
discussion  as  thorough  as  possible,  taking  nothing  for  granted,  but 
proving  our  positions  step  by  step,  by  a  reference  to  the  facts  and 
teachings  of  God’s  Word,  or  the  obvious  nature  and  reason  of  things. 

We  have  entered  somewhat  into  the  consideration  of  questions 
which  are  occupying  the  attention  of  the  theological  world,  but  not, 
we  trust,  in  a  narrow  or  disputatious  spirit. 

Our  views  of  the  Incarnation  and  Atonement  of  Christ,  may  be 
found,  in  some  features,  peculiar,  though  not  differing,  in  any  essen¬ 
tial  particular,  from  those  usually  styled  orthodox.  It  has  been 
our  aim  to  clear  away  from  this  subject  some  popular  misconcep¬ 
tions  and  misstatements,  and  to  place  it,  if  possible,  upon  a  scriptural 
and  defensible  basis.  How  far  we  have  succeeded  in  this,  others 
must  decide. 

We  have  intermingled  with  all  our  reasonings,  practical  views  and 
appeals;  for  we  are  anxious  not  only  to  convey  clear  ideas  to  the  in¬ 
tellect,  but  to  exert  a  good  influence  upon  the  heart.  Indeed,  our 
principal  hope  is,  that  the  work  may  prove  useful  to  sincere  in¬ 
quirers  after  truth,  leading  them  to  Him  who  is  the  Way,  the  Truth 
and  the  Life. 

The  term  Tkeophany,  ordinarily  applied  to  designate  the  appear¬ 
ances  or  manifestations  of  God,  in  human  form,  under  the  ancient 
dispensations,  seemed  yet  more  appropriate  to  that  most  perfect  and 
glorious  manifestation  of  himself  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  It 
has,  therefore,  been  adopted  as  the  general  title  of  the  book,  being  ex¬ 
pressive  of  the  leading  idea  which  it  is  designed  to  set  forth  and 
establish. 

The  first  part  of  the  work  contains  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  principal 
incidents  in  our  Saviour’s  life,  in  order  to  exhibit  the  great  truth  of 
“  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,”  in  its  historical  aspects. 

1* 


vi 


PREFACE. 


The  Second  Part  consists  of  brief  disquisitions,  on  the  Sinlessness 
or  Moral  Perfection  of  Christ,  His  supreme  Divinity,  His  Incarna¬ 
tion,  and  Atonement.  We  have  also  said  something  upon  certain 
theories  touching  the  person  and  mission  of  Christ,  and  closed 
the  discussion  with  a  brief  practical  appeal. 

The  present  is  an  age  of  change  and  revolution,  not  only  in  states 
and  dynasties,  but  in  opinions  and  beliefs.  This  has  its  advantages, 
but  it  has  also  its  disadvantages  and  dangers.  In  the  hurry  and  ex- 
4  citement  of  investigation  and  debate,  some  good  institutions,  and 
some  valuable  truths  may  be  abandoned,  for  no  other  reason  than 
that  they  are  common  and  old.  Novelty  and  originality  are  not 
always  the  best  guides  to  truth.  Instead  of  advancing  to  the  light, 
they  often  recede  from  it.  Indeed,  their  charm  frequently  consists  in 
their  brilliant  but  delusive  falsehood.  Yet  independent,  and  even 
reckless,  thinkers  will  often  say  something  worth  hearing,  and  their 
very  errors  may  turn  to  the  advantage  of  the  truth.  Our  safety  con¬ 
sists  in  free  and  friendly  investigation,  a  patient  examination  of  all 
sides,  and  a  common  reference  to  the  only  and  all-sufficient  standard 
of  theological  truth,  “  the  oracles  of  God.” 

The  enemies  of  Christianity  begin  to  boast  that  the  old  reverence 
for  Jesus  Christ,  and  especially  the  disposition  to  ascribe  to  him 
Divine  attributes,  is  passing  away,  with  the  inarch  of  revolution  and 
the  progress  of  society.  On  this  point,  we  have  been  exceedingly 
struck  with  the  following,  from  a  distinguished  literary  Jew.  “  Other 
great  revolutions  are  in  progress,  quietly,  slowly,  but  securely — the 
age  of  reason  and  philosophy  among  Christians.  In  every  direction 
there  appear  evidences  of  a  progressive  but  mighty  change  in  the 
fundamental  principles  of  that  faith.  *  *  The  result  of  this  manifests 
itself  in  gradually  withdrawing  from  the  great  Founder  of  the 
Christian  faith  the  Divine  attributes  conceded  to  him  by  his  disciples 
and  followers.  Since  the  Reformation,  this  change  has  been  grad¬ 
ually  unfolding  itself ;  but  professing  Christians  did  not  dare  to  ex¬ 
press  their  doubts  even  to  themselves  ;  they  were  unbelievers  ever, 
but  only  in  the  deep  recesses  of  the  heart ;  but  now,  Reformers,  Com¬ 
munists,  Philosophers  openly  express  their  doubts.”* 

That  this  statement  is  exaggerated,  is  quite  evident;  nevertheless,  it 


*  Address  of  M.  M.  Noah  at  the  Hebrew  Synagogue,  Crosby  st.,  New  York,  with 
reference  to  the  erection  of  a  great  Synagogue  or  Temple  for  the  Jews,  in  the  city  of 
Jerusalem. 


PREFACE . 


Vll 


indicates  the  current  of  feeling  among  those  who  hope  for  the  de¬ 
struction,  or,  at  least,  the  fundamental  modification  of  the  Christian 
faith.  Its  author,  indeed,  professes  to  admire  the  code  of  Christian 
,  morals,  nay,  he  affirms  that  Christ  and  Christianity  have  stood 
between  the  doctrine  of  the  true  God,  as  held  by  the  Jews,  and  its 
entire  destruction  by  an  idolatrous  and  infidel  world ;  and  in  this  re¬ 
spect  shows  his  good  sense  and  liberal  feelings ;  but  he  rejoices  in 
the  prospective  revolution  of  the  whole  Christian  system,  and  its 
amalgamation  with  the  simple  theism  of  the  Jew,  the  Mohammedan 
and  the  Deist.  This  great  change,  according  to  him,  is  to  be  brought 
about  by  the  withdrawal  of  Divine  attributes  from  Jesus  Christ. 
How  clearly,  then,  does  it  behoove  us  to  know  the  exact  truth  upon 
this  great  question,  and  defend  it  from  all  assaults,  whether  secret 
and  insidious,  or  more  open  and  reckless.  Above  all,  how  necessary 
to  do  what  we  can  to  enthrone  it  in  the  hearts  of  all  Christian  people  ; 
so  that  in  wisdom  and  love,  they  “  may  contend  earnestly  for  the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.” 

•Note  to  the  Second  Edition.  This  work  has  been  subjected  to  a  careful  re¬ 
vision,  and  a  Supplement  added,  on  the  theories  of  Dr.  Bushnell,  which  are  attract¬ 
ing  much  attention.  As  Dr.  B.  has  expressed  himself  with  the  utmost  freedom  on 
the  opinions  of  others,  aud  rather  invited  discussion,  this,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  will  be 
deemed  no  breach  on  our  part,  of  brotherly  kindness  and  courtesy.  It  has  given 
us  an  opportunity  of  making  our  view  of  the  atonement  more  complete  and  satis¬ 
factory,  and  will  be  read,  we  hope,  as  it  is  written,  with  entire  seriousness  and  can¬ 
dor.  The  laet  chapter  in  the  first  edition  has  been  cancelled,  partly  to  make  roomT 
for  the  additional  matter,  and  partly  because  it  touched  upon  questions  which  de¬ 
mand  a  more  minute  and  ample  discussion.  Our  views  remain  the  same  as  they 
have  been  ;  but  we  readily  concede  that  others  may  differ  from  us  here,  and  yet 
hold  the  fundamental  principles  of  Christian  belief.  May  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  unite  all  good  men  in  the  belief  and  defence  of  these  great  truths ;  and  may 
the  time  soon  come,  when  there  shall  be  only  “  one  Lord,  one  faith,. one  baptism’* 
in  every  church  and  in  every  land. 

Hartford,  Conn. 


f 


J ■ 


CONTENTS 


Page. 

Preface . 5 

PART  FIRST. 

THE  LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 

CHAPTER  I. 

State  of  the  World  before  the  Birth  of  Christ.  The  Birth  of  Christ.  Its  import 

and  design . 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Childhood  and  Youth  of  Christ.  His  Baptism.  His  Temptation.  His  Teach¬ 
ing.  Peculiarities  of  his  Character  and  Work . 25 

CHAPTER  III. 

Capernaum.  Christ’s  attendance  at  the  three  great  Festivals.  Assertion  and  Vin¬ 
dication  of  his  claims  as  the  Son  of  God.  His  rejection  by  various  parties 
among  the  Jews.  His  anticipated  Death.  Triumphal  entry  into  the  Holy  City. 

The  Last  Supper.  Gethsemane.  Contrasts.  The  finite  and  the  Infinite.  .  .  41 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Last  Hours  of  Christ  on  Earth.  Crucifixion.  Manifestation  of  the  Godhead  in  , 
the  gloom  and  agony.  Grandeur  of  the  Mystery . 53 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Resurrection  of  Christ.  Its  Reality  and  Import . 67 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Ascension  of  Christ.  The  relation  of  his  Life  on  Earth  to  his  higher  Life  in 
Heaven . 76 

PART  SECOND. 

THE  CHARACTER  AND  MISSION  OF  CHRIST. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Sinlessness  or  Moral  Perfection  of  Christ . 87 

CHAPTER  II 

The  Divinity  of  Christ . 112 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Incarnation  as  a  Mystery . . . •  141 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Theories  of  the  Incarnation . • . 170 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Atonement . 197 


Supplement  on  the  Theories  of  Dr.  Bushnell.  Conclusion 


197 


THEOPHANY. 


THE  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD  IN  CHRIST. 


PART  FIRST. 

THE  LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 

CHAPTER  I. 

State  of  the  World  before  the  Birth  of  Christ.  The  Religions  of  Greece  and  Romd 
old  and  ready  to  perish.  Judaism  shorn  of  its  power.  Its  selfish  and  fanatical  char* 
acter.  Prevalent  views  of  the  Messiah.  General  Expectations.  State  of  things 
unfavorable  to  the  reception  of  a  Spiritual  Messiah.  Birth  of  Christ.  Its  pe 
culiarities.  An  Incarnation  of  Love.  The  turning  point  of  the  World’s  History. 
The  Manifestation  of  the  Godhead. 

The  Religions  of  the  ancient  world,  all  of  which, 
except  the  Jewish,  embodied  the  element  of  idolatry, 
had  fallen  into  a  state  of  dotage.  The  beautiful  visions 
of  Grecian  polytheism  grew  dim.  Olympus  was  deserted. 
Magnificent  temples  remained ;  but  all  heart-felt  worship 
was  lost.  Over  the  political  and  equally  idolatrous  faith  of 
Rome  passed  a  spirit  of  change  and  dissolution.  Supersti¬ 
tions  enough  remained,  but  all  earnest  and  coherent  faith, 
even  in  idolatry,  was  breaking  to  pieces  and  vanishing 
away.  The  awe-struck  imagination  of  the  elder  pagans, 
which  prostrated  itself  in  burning  adoration  before  the 
starry  Host,  the  sacred  Fire,  or  the  Olympian  Jove,  could 
nowhere  be  found.  A  new  era  was  opening  upon  the 
world ;  but  what  it  was  to  be,  whether  of  darkness  and 
desolation,  or  of  light  and  life,  could  not  be  foretold  by 


10 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


reference  to  the  existing  state  of  things.  For,  idolatry  was 
replaced  by  scepticism,  and  scepticism  resulted  in  anarchy. 
Darkness  covered  the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  people. 
The  great  Roman  heart,  which  swayed  the  world,  was 
growing  languid  and  powerless  under  the  influence  of  vice. 
The  morals  of  the  common  people  became  worse'  and  worse. 
Philosophy  was  as  a  bark  at  sea,  amid  storm  and  darkness, 
catching  occasional  glimpses  of  land,  but  more  frequently 
dashed  against  the  rocks,  or  lost  in  the  roaring  surge.  At 
the  best,  it  never  reached  the  masses,  and,  at  the  time  of 
which  we  are  speaking,  was  itself  becoming  sceptical  and 
vicious.  The  higher  orders  of  society  were  distinguished 
only  by  an  intenser  corruption.  The  very  poets,  rising,  in 
the  olden  time,  to  the  character  of  prophets,  threw  contempt 
upon  virtue,  and  laughed  to  scorn  the  existence  of  God  and 
the  immortality  of  the  soul.  A  very  few  moralists  specu¬ 
lated,  to  some  purpose,  on  the  subject  of  virtue,  but  could 
offer  no  sublime  and  resistless  motives  to  enforce  it.  The 
tide  of  popular  corruption  swept  onward,  in  spite  of  all 
their  lofty  theories  and  fine-spun  imaginings.  Their  at-  • 
tempts  at  reform  were  spider-webs  to  bind  Leviathan ; 
straws,  to  stem  the  currents  of  the  ocean.  The  sophists, 
a  heartless  and  infidel  race,  controlled  the  popular  will,  and 
gave  law  to  society.  In  a  word,  “the  foundations  were 
destroyed.”  Old  things  were  passing  away.  Night  and 
chaos  were  enveloping  the  world. 

At  this  period,  a  large  portion  of  the  earth  was  occupied 
by  one  vast  empire.  From  beyond  the  Pillars  of  Hercules 
to  the  Caspian  sea,  sweeping  through  the  forests  of  Ger- 


11 


’  * 

LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 

many  on  the  one  side,  and  the  sands  of  the  African  desert 
on  the  other,  a  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  persons,  of  di¬ 
versified  climate  and  character,  were  consolidated  into  one 
great  commonwealth.  Diverging  from  the  city  of  Rome, 
which  might  be  called  the  metropolis  of  the  world,  magni¬ 
ficent  roads  stretched  in  every  direction,  connecting,  by  so¬ 
cial  and  commercial  ties,  distant  and  flourishing  cities. 
The  old  and  separate  dynasties,  which  once  occupied  this 
vast  area,  were  broken  up,  and  a  political  brotherhood  es¬ 
tablished  throughout  the  bounds  of  the  Roman  empire. 
It  was  a  colossal  power,  and  once  awed  the  world.  But 
it  had  passed  its  meridian.  Luxury  and  vice  undermined 
its  strength,  portentous  changes  threatened  its  ruin.  The 
prevalent  civilization,  unsupported  by  any  true  faith,  was 
gradually  working  its  overthrow.  Yet  it  seemed  to 
be  preparing  the  nations  for  some  vast  and  beneficent 
change. 

Judaism,  whose  roots  penetrated  the  depths  of  the  na¬ 
tional  heart,  had  grown  cold  and  lifeless.  The  Shekinah 
had  departed  from  the  temple.  The  voice  of  its  oracles 
was  dumb.  More  free  from  the  tendency  to  idolatry  than 
in  ancient  times,  it  had  yet  lost  all  its  vitality.  The  spirit 
of  prophecy  was  extinct.  No  holy  seers  predicted  the  glo¬ 
ries  of  Messiah’s  reign,  or  denounced  the  vengeance  of 
Heaven  upon  the  workers  of  iniquity.  No  Deborah  sang 
under  “  the  palm  tree  between  Ramah  and  Bethel,”  no 
Ezekiel  thundered  “between  the  porch  and  the  altar.” 
The  Word  indeed  remained;  but  it  was  a  dead  letter  to  the 
great  body  of  the  people.  The  formalism  of  the  Pharisee 


J2  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

on  the  one  hand,  and  the  scepticism  of  the  Sadducee  on  the 
other,  paralyzed  all  pure  and  earnest  feeling.  The  people, 
subjected  to  the  galling  oppression  of  a  foreign  yoke,  were 
discontented  and  furious.  Unheard  of  atrocities  had  been 
perpetrated  in  the  family  of  the  elder  Herod,  whose  days 
were  about  to  close  in  horror  and  blood. 

In  addition  to  all  this,  infidel  and  pagan  notions  began 
to  prevail  in  Judea,  particularly  in  Caesarea,  the  Roman 
capital  of  the  country ;  while  the  mass  of  the  people  were 
intoxicated  with  a  savage  fanaticism.  Some  holy  hearts, 
here  and  there,  in  the  temple,  or  among  the  mountains, 
brooded  over  the  prophecies,  and  longed  for  that  blessed  era 
of  purity  and  repose  predicted  to  the  fathers.  Indeed  the 
idea  of  a  Messiah  had  seized  the  great  body  of  the  nation ; 
but  so  mingled  with  sensual  and  fanatical  views,  that  it 
rather  exasperated  than  soothed  their  passions. 

There  prevailed,  also,  at  this  time,  even  in  the  Roman 
world,  a  wide-spread  expectation  of  a  mighty  change  to  be 
achieved  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  some  august  and 
mysterious  personage.  This  dim  idea  floated  not  only  in 
Judea,  but  in  Rome,  in  Egypt  and  Babylon.  So  familiar 
did  it  become,  that  it  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Roman 
poets  and  philosophers.  “  Amongf  many,”  writes  Tacitus, 
“  there  was  a  persuasion  that  in  the  ancient  books  of  the 
priesthood,  it  was  written,  that  at  that  precise  time  the  East 
should  become  mighty,  and  that  the  sovereigns  of  the 
world  should  issue  from  Judea. ”*  “In  the  east,”  says 


*  Tacitus.  History,  v.  13. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


13 


Suetonius,  “  an  ancient  and  consistent  opinion  prevailed, 
that  it  was  fated  there  should  issue  at  this  time,  those  who 
should  obtain  universal  dominion.”*  This  general  expect¬ 
ation  is  to  be  traced,  doubtless,  to  the  predictions  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets.  Daniel’s  u  weeks  of  years”  were  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  on  the  point  of  expiring.  The  sceptre,  in  some 
sense,  had  “departed  from  Judah,”  and  therefore,  the  Shiloh , 
or  the  Peacemaker,  was  about  to  come.  What  he  was  to 
be,  few  indeed  understood.  The  views  of  his  character  and 
mission  were  modified  by  the  dispositions  of  those  who 
cherished  them.  Josephus,  a  shrewd,  worldly  man,  subse¬ 
quently  recognized  him  in  the  person  of  the  Emperor  Ves¬ 
pasian  !  Some  expected  a  mighty  King,  a  half  divine, 
half  human  conqueror ;  others,  but  comparatively  a  small 
number,  a  great  moral  Reformer,  or  spiritual  Redeemer; 
and  others,  but  fewer  still,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of 
the  world.  But  the  majority  of  the  nation  looked  only  for 
a  temporal  deliverer,  his  footsteps  tracked  with  blood,  and 
his  long  reign  of  earthly  power  and  splendor  encircling  the 
globe. 

Hence  the  general  state  of  the  Jewish  nation  was  quite 
unfavorable  to  the  reception  and  acknowledgment  of  a 
spiritual  Messiah,  whose  peaceful  reign  should  be  that  only 
of  righteousness  and  love.  Carnal  and  besotted,  they  were 
more  likely  to  crush,  than  to  honor  the  Son  of  God. 

Indeed,  taking  the  world  as  a  whole,  it  was  a  dark  and 
godless  era.  The  race,  as  if  abandoned  by  Heaven,  stag- 


*  Suetonius  Ves.  p.  4. 
2 


14 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


gered,  like  a  vessel  at  sea,  amid  tempest  and  gloom,  and 
seemed  on  the  very  point  of  being  shipwrecked  forever. 

At  this  juncture  Jesus  Christ  was  born  into  the  world, — 
in  an  humble  town, — of  obscure  parentage, — in  the  still 
hour  of  night, — in  a  condition  of  lowliness  and  poverty 
peculiarly  striking, — and  without  any  general  or  imposing 
demonstrations.  And  why?  Simply,  because  he  was  to 
be  a  spiritual  Teacher,  a  divine  Redeemer,  whose  u  still 
small  voice”  of  love  and  power  was  gently,  but  irresistibly, 
to  penetrate  the  human  heart,  and  transform  it  into  the 
beauty  of  holiness.  Little  is  recorded  of  this  unostentatious 
but  august  event.  It  was  proclaimed,  as  has  been  often 
said,  not  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  or  the  purlieus  of  the 
temple,  but  in  the  quiet  scenes  of  the  country ;  not  to  the 
Sanhedrim  of  the  Jewish  nation,  nor  to  the  priesthood  in 
solemn  conclave,  but  to  a  few  pious  shepherds,  as  they 
watched  their  flocks  by  night  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem. 

In  all  this,  we  discern  something  of  divine  beauty  and 
wisdom.  God,  in  creating  and  blessing,  is  not  so  much  in 
the  whirlwind  and  the  storm,  as  in  the  soft,  still  voice. 
His  mightiest  changes  are  achieved  by  invisible,  and  appa¬ 
rently  trivial  means.  He  works  not  at  the  surface,  but  at 
the  centre.  He  comes  rather  in  the  solitude  and  silence  of 
night,  like  the  dew  beneath  the  stars,  than  in  the  glare 
and  tumult  of  day.  In  this  respect,  he  reverses  all  the  ex¬ 
pectations  of  man.  “  Without  observation,”  like  his  own 
reign  of  purity  and  love,  he  accomplishes  the  designs  of 
his  providence  and  grace.  Not  with  the  might  of  kings,  or 
the  tread  of  armies,  but  with  the  quiet  majesty,  the  still, 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


15 


but  resistless  power  of  supreme  and  everlasting  dominion. 
He  taketh  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
mighty,  and  things  that  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things 
that  are,  that  no  flesh  may  glory  in  his  presence.  Ever¬ 
more  he  magnifies  purity  and  love  over  might  and  display. 

Moreover,  the  incarnation  of  Jesus  was  a  veiling  rather 
than  a  revealing  of  absolute  power.  It  was  love,  rather 
than  force,  which  assumed  the  human  form.  By  a  new 
and  peculiar  manifestation,  love  and  suffering  were  to  be 
revealed  the  mightiest  powers  in  the  universe.  Enthroned, 
by  the  death  of  the  Son  of  God,  they  were  to  be  proved 
resistless  and  immortal.  It  was  meet,  therefore,  that,  in 
lowliness  and  poverty,  the  birth  of  Jesus  should  correspond 
with  his  death,  the  beginning  with  the  end  of  his  mysteri¬ 
ous  career. 

“  How  might  God  have  appeared,”  says  Tholuck,  “when 
he  met  a  finite  race  ?  There  rests  concealed  behind  all  the 
excellence  of  nature,  there  rests  concealed  behind  every 
spectacle  of  history,  there  is  ruling  concealed  in  the  depth 
of  the  earth,  there  is  ruling  concealed  in  the  immensity  of 
the  starry  world,  the  eternal  Spirit,  which  we  call  God  ! 
There  are  hours  when  thou  dost  imagine  thyself  to  come 
near  him  ;  oh  !  there  are  wonderful  hours  in  the  life  of 
man,  when  it  is  as  if  the  Great  Mystery  of  all  existence 
would  at  once  burst  asunder  its  bar,  and  come  forth,  un¬ 
veiled  !  Our  inmost  soul  is  agitated  at  such  an  hour.  But 
how  is  it  when  the  bar  is  actually  burst  asunder ;  when 
he  who  dwells  in  unapproachable  light,  where  no  man  can 
draw  near  ;  when  the  infinite  Spirit,  who  sustains  heaven 


16 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


and  earth,  assumes  a  visible  form,  and  appears  among  his 
finite  creatures  %  Who  does  not  now  expect,  what  is  writ¬ 
ten  of  the  day  of  his  second  coming,  that  his  heavens, 
which  are  his  throne,  will  tremble ;  that  this  small  earth, 
his  footstool,  will  shake  ;  that  a  foreboding  sentiment,  such 
as  we  have  elsewhere  discovered  at  the  occurrence  of  great 
natural  phenomena,  will  seize  all  tribes  of  the  earth,  and 
cause  some  to  rejoice  and  others  to  weep  !  *  *  Yet  be¬ 

hold,  as  nature  is  everywhere  still  when  she  creates,  and 
loud  only  when  she  destroys,  so  is  she  still,  indescribably 
still,  when  the  greatest  of  all  who  are  born  of  women, 
comes  into  the  world.  The  sun  did  not  stand  motionless 
in  the  heavens  when  he  came  ;  it  was  night.  He  did  not 
make  his  first  appearance  in  the  capital  city ;  but  in  one  of 
the  smallest  places  of  the  land.  No  sleeper  waked  up  at 
his  coming  ;  but  only  they  who  watched  through  the  night 
had  intelligence  of  his  advent.  The  earth  that  night  did 
not  shake ;  the  heaven  that  night  did  not  tremble.  Only 
a  few  childlike  souls,  who  then  kept  vigil  at  his  birth, 
trembled  ;  yet  their  trembling  was  a  trembling  for  joy. 
*  *  The  Lord  was  not  in  the  tempest,  but  in  the  gentle, 

soft  sound ;  and  the  heavenly  hosts  sung  at  his  birth, 

4  Peace  on  earth,  and  good  will  to  men.’”* 

*  German  Selections,  by  Edwards  &.  Park,  pp.  128,  129.  The  same  ideas  are  finely 
expressed  in  the  following  extract  from  Milman’s  “Fall  of  Jerusalem:” 

“  Thou  wast  born  of  woman,  thou  didst  come, 

O  Holiest !  to  this  world  of  sin  and  gloom, 

Not  in  thy  dread  omnipotent  array; 

And  not  by  thunder  strewed 
Was  thy  tempestuous  road; 

Nor  indignation  burned  before  thee  on  thy  way. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


17 


There  was  a  special  reason  why  Jesus  should  be  “  born 
of  a  virgin,”  for  then  would  it  be  seen  and  acknowledged, 
that  he  was  “  the  holy  One  of  God.”  The  unstained  inno¬ 
cence  of  the  mother,  her  serene  beauty  and  gentleness  of 
character,  and  the  entire  separation  of  Jesus  by  means  of 
this  circumstance,  from  the  corrupted  mass  of  humanity, 
would  form  a  peculiar  attraction  to  all  pure  minds.  It  was 
meet,  also,  that  the  incarnation  of  Jesus  should  be  a  sacred 
mystery,  around  which  the  affections  of  his  followers  should 
linger  with  delight  and  awe.  This  feeling  indeed  has  been 
exaggerated  and  vitiated  among  the  Catholics,  but  it  is  a 
natural  feeling,  and  not  only  so,  but  productive  of  the  most 
beneficent  results.  There  is  something  inexpressibly  touch- 


But  thee  a  soft  and  naked  child, 

Thy  mother  undefiled, 

In  the  rude  manger  laid  to  rest, 

From  off  her  virgin  breast. 

“  The  heavens  were  not  commanded  to  prepare 
A  gorgeous  canopy  of  golden  air ; 

Nor  stoop’d  their  lamps  th’  enthroned  fires  on  high  ; 

A  single  silent  star 
Came  wandering  from  afar, 

Gliding  uncheck’d  and  calm  along  the  liquid  sky ; 

The  Eastern  sages  leading  on 
As  at  a  kingly  throne, 

To  lay  their  gold  and  odors  sweet 
Before  thy  infant  feet. 

“  The  earth  and  ocean  were  not  hush’d  to  hear 
Bright  harmony  from  every  starry  sphere  ; 

Nor  at  thy  presence  brake  the  voice  of  song 
From  all  the  cherub  choirs, 

And  seraph’s  burning  lyres, 

Pour’d  through  the  host  of  Heaven  the  charmed  clouds  along ; 
One  angel  troop  the  strain  began, 

Of  all  the  race  of  man, 

By  simple  shepherds  heard  alone 
That  soft  Hosanna’s  tone.” 


2* 


r 


18  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

ing  in  the  thought,  expressed  by  Wordsworth,  that  in  the 
virgin  mother  were  “  blended  and  reconciled”  those  singu¬ 
lar  but  beautiful  contrasts 

“  Of  mother’s  love,  and  maiden  purity, 

Of  high  and  low,  celestial  with  terrene.” 

Rude  minds  have  wondered  that  u  the  Highest”  was  born 
of  woman,  especially  that  the  Godhead  “  vested”  itself  in 
the  form  of  a  child.  But  more  thoughtful  and  spiritual 
minds  have  discerned  in  this  very  thing,  a  meaning  and 
design  which  awaken  their  profoundest  reverence.  They 
cannot  see  that  mechanical  greatness,  or  material  expan¬ 
sion,  have  aught  in  them  akin  to  the  nature  of  God,  or  that 
adventitious  circumstances,  however  imposing,  can  add 
any  thing  to  his  infinite  grandeur.  Indeed,  they  look  be¬ 
yond  all  the  depths  of  the  starry  world,  and  all  the  immen¬ 
sities  of  the  creation,  to  find  his  indivisible  essence,  and 
boundless  majesty.  Not  physical  grandeur,  or  mechanical 
force,  but  spirituality,  love  and  purity,  constitute  their  idea 
of  his  glory.  Hence,  they  can  adore  the  manifestation  of 
that  glory  as  well  in  the  person  of  “  the  holy  child  Jesus,” 
as  in  the  magnificence  of  the  universe.  God  is  a  Spirit! 
God  is  love  !  And  since-  man  in  his  unstained  innocence, 
was  made  in  the  image  of  God,  no  fitter  temple  of  the 
Deity  can  be  found  than  that  of  a  living  man.  11  The  true 
Shekinah,”  says  John  Chrysostom,  u  is  Man  !”  Even  in 
ruins,  the  traces  nf  his  primitive  grandeur  declare,  “  Here 
God  once  dwelt.”*  u  The  highest  Being,”  says  Carlyle, 

*See  “  Howe’s  Living  Temple,”  where  this  idea  is  expanded  with  great  beauty  and 
depth  of  meaning. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


19 


u  reveals  himself  in  man.  This  body,  these  faculties,  this 
life  of  ours,  is  it  not  all  as  a  vesture  for  that  unnamed  ?” 
Hence  he  adds,  with  something  of  error  and  extravagance, 
but  with  a  wonderful  vein  of  truth !  “  No  nobler  feeling  than 
this  of  admiration  for  one  greater  than  himself  dwells  in  paan. 
It  is  to  this  hour,  and  at  all  hours,  the  vivifying  influence 
of  man’s  life.  Religion,  I  find,  stands  upon  it ;  not  pagan¬ 
ism  only,  but  far  higher  and  truer  religions,  all  religion 
k*  hitherto  known.  Hero-worship,  heart  felt,  prostrate  admi¬ 
ration,  submission,  burning,  boundless,  for  a  noblest,  godlike 
Form  of  Man,  is  it  not  the  germ  of  Christianity  itself  %  The 
greatest  of  all  heroqs  is  One  whom  I  do  not  name  here.”* 
In  the  estimation  of  the  world,  in  the  estimation  even  of 
philosophy,  the  birth  of  Jesus  was  a  small  event. f  Yet 
it  was  “  the  turning  point  of  the  world’s  history.”  Then 
the  “  day-star  from  on  high”  visited  us.  Then  u  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  arose  with  healing  in  his  wings.”  Then 
commenced  a  form  of  civilization,  which  was  to  penetrate 
the  nations  with  an  invisible  but  resistless  power,  and 
which  at  the  present  hour,  is  the  only  thing  really  alive, 
active  and  diffusive  in  society.  At  this  point  all  ancient 
prophecy  culminated,  all  modem  faith  began.  New  prin¬ 
ciples  of  action,  new  codes  of  morals,  new  sources  of  power, 
new  modes  of  enjoyment,  strange  fears,  still  stranger  hopes, 
dawned  upon  the  race.  The  whole  life  and  energy  of 


*  Hero  Worship,  p.  13. 

f  We  mean  ancient  philosophy  ;  modern  philosophy  has  changed  its  tone.  The 
greatest  philosopher  in  Gerrimny,  Scbelling,  speaks  of  the  birth  of  Christ  as  “  the  turn¬ 
ing  point  of  the  world’s  history.” 


20 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


modern  society  were  here.  In  this,  as  in  a  germ,  lay  Dante, 
Milton  and  Cowper,  nay  more,  Shakespeare,  Schiller  and 
Goethe,  Newton,  Pascal  and  Fenelon,  Jeremy  Taylor  and 
John  Howard ;  all,  in  fact,  that  we  call  modern  literature 
and  religion.  Thence  sprang  liberty  and  law,  true  freedom 
and  fraternity,  that  divine  and  universal  brotherhood  yet  to 
envelope  the  globe.  For  it  was  infinite  Love  coming  into 
union  and  fellowship  with  man,  entering  into  the  heart 
and  soul  of  society,  incarnating  itself  in  the  very  depths  of 
human  degradation  and  wretchedness.  In  a  word,  it  was 
a  new  moral  creation,  in  which  God  said,  Let  there  be 
light !  and  there  was  light !  In  this,  therefore,  was  fulfilled 
the  glowing  prediction  of  Isaiah:  “Unto  us  a  child  is 
born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  the  government  shall  be 
upon  his  shoulders,  and  he  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Coun¬ 
sellor,  the  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  and  the 
Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of  his  government  and 
peace  there  shall  be  no  end.”* 

Thus  the  birth  of  Christ,  insignificant  in  its  seeming,  was 
inexpressibly  great  in  its  reality.  Apparently  the  advent 
of  a  simple  child,  it  was  the  incarnation  of  the  Godhead. 
A  mere  incident  in  an  obscure  corner  of  the  earth,  which 
disturbed  neither  the  course  of  nature,  nor  the  course  of 
society,  it  was  the  origin  of  untold  revolutions,  the  beginning 


*  The  expression  Mighty  God ,  has  been  translated  by  the  German  critics  and  others, 
Mighty  Hero,  Mighty  King,  or  Conqueror,  which  gives  a  very  good  and  expressive 
meaning,  harmonizing  strikingly  with  the  remarks  in  the  text.  The  following  is  De 
Wette’s  translation,  which  we  should  willingly  accept  as  a  just  one  :  “Denn  ein  kind 
wird  uns  geboren,  undes  ruhet  die  Herrschaft  auf  einer  schulter,  und  man  nennet  seinen 
namen  Wunder,  Verather,  Starker  Held,  Frieden’s  Furst,  etc.” 

Heilige  Srhrift.  De  tVette. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


21 


of  a  new  civilization  and  a  new  religion,  of  a  new  world  and 
a  new  heaven !  No  wonder,  then,  that  it  was  hymned  by 
angels,  as  was  the  creation  of  the  world  at  first,  when  the 
morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God 
shouted  for  joy.  Not  only  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  but 
in  the  Courts  of  Heaven  resounded  the  glad  acclaim.  For 
as  soon  as  the  news  was  announced  to  the  shepherds, 
“  suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  host  praising  God,  and  saying,  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  on  earth  peace  and  good  will  to  men !” 

“In  heaven  the  rapturous  song  began, 

And  sweet  seraphic  fire 

Through  all  the  shining  legions  ran, 

And  strung  and  tuned  the  lyre. 

Swift  through  the  vast  expanse  it  flew, 

And  loud  the  echo  rolled  ; 

The  theme,  the  song,  the  joy  was  new, 

’  Twas  more  than  heaven  could  hold.” 

All  this  and  much  more  has  been  styled  a  myth,  or  alle¬ 
gorical  fiction,  by  the  sceptics  of  Germany,  and  by  their  imi¬ 
tators  in  this  country,  a  supposition  as  baseless  and  wild  as 
the  most  fanciful  and  extravagant  of  all  the  dreams  of 
oriental  romance.  If  any  fact  in  ancient  history  is  well  es¬ 
tablished,  it  is  that  of  the  birth  of  Jesus,  and  the  wonderful 
change  therein  wrought  in  the  history  of  the  world.  But 
if  the  birth  of  Jesus  is  well  established,  then  the  miracu¬ 
lousness  of  that  birth,  the  mystery  of  the  incarnation,  the 
song  of  the  angels, — the  visit  of  the  magi, — and  the  star  in 
the  east,  or  the  luminous  appearance  which  guided  their 
steps  to  the  place  of  his  nativity,  all,  in  a  word,  connected 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


22 

with  this  event  which  is  supernatural  and  divine,  is  equally 
well  established.*  The  same  authority  which  proves  the 
one  proves  also  the  other.  If  the  one  is  natural,  in  the  cir¬ 
cumstances  supposed,  so  also  are  the  others.  The  whole 
must  stand  or  fall  together,  like  the  branches  and  leaves 
with  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  But  no  historical  facts  are 
better  established,  and  those,  therefore,  who  doubt  them  or 
resolve  them,  in  any  measure,  into  myths  or  allegories,  will 
doubt  any  historical  fact,  and  make  myths  of  the  most 
established  verities'  Thus  Weisse,  a  German  theologian 
of  some  repute,  makes  the  elder  Herod  himself  a  myth, 
speaking  of  him  as  the  symbol  or  representation  of  worldly 
power !  So  we  might  make  Julius  Ceesar  or  Marc  Antony 
the  representatives  of  Roman  ambition,  and  thus  sublimate 
them  into  historical  myths  !  Who  knows  but  Napoleon, 
in  some  future  age,  will  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  magnifi¬ 
cent  myth  !  Perhaps  the  wise  men  of  a  distant  day  will 
gravely  assert  that  the  immortal  Washington,  and  the  bat¬ 
tles  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  hill  are  ancient  American 
myths !  “  He  is  not  to  me  a  true  Christian,”  says  the 

illustrious  Niebuhr,  who  carried  his  historical  doubts  and 
investigations  as  far  as  any  man  ;  so  far,  indeed,  as  to  make 
a  complete  revolution  in  the  opinions  of  the  learned,  relative 
to  the  early  history  of  Rome,  and  whose  keen  sagacity 
and  boundless  information  have  won  the  admiration  of  the 


*  These  magi,  or  Eastern  sages,  came  from  Babylon,  between  which  and  Jerusalem 
existed  an  intimate  intercourse  of  travel  and  commerce.  There  also  the  Jews  long 
resided,  and  maintained  their  peculiar  sentiments  and  usages.  These  magi,  then,  in  all 
probability,  were  acquainted  with  the  predictions  relative  to  the  Messiah,  and  knew 
that  the  time  was  near  when  his  appearance  might  be  expected. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


s 


23 

civilized  world, — u  He  is  not  to  me  a  true  Christian  who 
does  not  consider  the  history  of  Christ’s  earthly  life  in  ac¬ 
cordance  with  its  true  literal  sense,  with  all  its  miracles,  as 
really  a  fact  as  any  other  thing  recorded  in  history,  and  is 
not  as  calmly  and  firmly  convinced  of  it ;  who  has  not  the 
strongest  conviction  of  all  points  in  the  Apostle’s  creed,  in 
their  literal  acceptation  ;  who  does  not  regard  every  doc¬ 
trine  and  every  command  of  the  New  Testament  as  unques¬ 
tionably  of  divine  revelation.”*  A  testimony  like  this  is 
worth  all  the  assertions  and  imaginings  of  men  who  have 
departed  alike  from  the  faith  and  from  common  sense. 

The  birth  of  Christ,  as  a  miracle,  was  necessary  to  the 
revelation  of  his  Divinity.  Here  the  incarnation  or  the 
manifestation  of  the  Godhead  in  a  living  human  form,  the 
most  glorious  symbol  or  image  of  God,  and  therefore  the 
fittest  for  his  manifestation,  commenced.  The  Word ,  the 
divine  Logos  or  Revealer,  who  in  the  beginning  was  “  with 
God”  and  “  was  God,”  u  became  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us, 
and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten 
of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth. f”  It  is  thence  a 

*  Christian  Review,  Vol.  VI. — p.  109.  See  also  Neander’s  Life  ofOhrist — Introduction. 
To  those  who  wish  to  investigate  the  genuineness  and  authenticity  of  the  Gospels,  we 
recommend  Professor  Greenleaf’s  work  upon  this  subject.  He  has  applied  to  the  inves¬ 
tigation  the  principles  of  legal  evidence.  Some  excellent  observations  upon  the  same 
subject  may  be  found  in  Stnrkie  upon  Evidence,  first  volume.  Neander’s  Life  of  Christ, 
though  heavy  and  somewhat  obscure  and  fanciful  upon  some  points,  may  also  be  con¬ 
sulted  with  advantage.  It  is  a  complete  answer  to  Strauss’s  Leben  Jesu.  “The  Genu¬ 
ineness  of  the  Gospels,”  3  vols.,  Cambridge  ;  by  Professor  Norton,  is  a  learned  and  elabo¬ 
rate  work,  written  with  much  force  and  beauty,  but  marred  by  rationalistic  views  and 
criticisms.  Still  it  may  be  consulted  with  great  benefit  by  the  critical  and  well-in¬ 
formed  reader.  With  the  exceptions  we  have  named,  it  is  the  most  thorough  and 
scholar-like  work  upoiVthe  subject  in  the  English  language. 

t  1  John,  i.  14. 


24 


M  ANIFES  1'  A  1'  ION  OF  GOD. 


celestial  truth  to  be  received,  a  sacred  mystery  to  be  adored, 
an  ineffable  secret  to  be  cherished,  in  the  profoundest 
depths  of  an  humble  and  contrite  heart. 


CHAPTER  II. 


The  Childhood  and  Youth  of  Christ.  Its  import  and  value.  The  Condition  of  Ju¬ 
dea  before  the  commencement  of  Christ’s  public  Ministry.  John  the  Baptist. 
His  character  and  mission.  Baptism  of  Christ.  Its  import.  The  Temptation.  Its 
design.  The  Teaching  and  Preaching  of  Jesus.  Its  peculiarities.  The  bearing  of 
his  early  ministrations  upon  the  great  object  of  his  mission.  His  calmness  and 
energy.  His  self-possession.  His  enthusiasm  and  self-sacrifice. 

One  of  the  old  fathers  has  remarked,  that  Jesus  passed 
through  all  the  stages  of  human  life,  from  infancy  to  man¬ 
hood,  that  he  might  sanctify  them  all.  The  remark  is  not 
only  beautiful,  but  scriptural  and  just.  u  It  behooved  him, 
in  all  things,  to  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren.”  He  was 
thus  fitted  to  become  the  brother  and  friend  of  man,  in  all 
possible  relations.  How  profoundly  this  single  circum¬ 
stance  has  affected  the  sympathies  of  mankind,  every 
thoughtful  person  must  be  aware.  Childhood  and  old  age 
have  felt  it  alike.  All  ranks  and  conditions  have  acknow¬ 
ledged  its  influence.  The  fact,  that  Jesus,  “  the  eternal 
Word  of  God,”  was  born  of  woman,  that  he  lived  as  a 
child, — 

“  The  happiest,  the  holiest, 

That  ever  blessed  the  earth 

that  he  acted  the  part  of  a  grateful  and  obedient  Son, — that 


*  “  O,  is  it  not  a  blessed  thought, 
Children  of  human  birth, 

That  once  the  Saviour  was  a  child, 
And  lived  upon  the  earth,” 

3 


26 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


he  aided,  by  manual  toil,  in  providing  for  his  father’s  house¬ 
hold, — that  he  ate  and  drank,  slept  and  awaked,  smiled 
and  wept,  rejoiced  and  suffered,  loved  and  prayed,  struggled 
and  died^  like  other  men,  yet  all  the  while  possessed  of  an 
infinite  and  immortal  nature,  involves  the  principal  secrets 
of  his  amazing  power  over  the  heart.  Moreover,  this  has 
tended  to  impart  dignity  and  worth  to  human  nature  itself, 
and  invest  our  mortal  state  with  a  new  and  sublime  inter¬ 
est.  The  divine  Majesty  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  seems 
thereby  to  be  veiled,  and  this  doubtless  is  the  case  to  some 
extent.  It  was  an  infinite  condescension  on  his  part  “  to 
take  upon  him  the  seed  of  Abraham,”  and  appear  “  in  the 
form  of  man,”  glorious  and  beautiful  as  that  form  might 
be ;  but  the  Divinity  of  Christ  was  not  thereby  degraded, 
as  some  have  rashly  concluded.  The  union  between  the 
highest  Essence  in  the  universe  and  the  lowliest  state  of 
man,  was  natural  and  becoming.  There  is  no  shrine  of  the 
Deity  so  magnificent,  as  the  spotless  body  of  u  the  holy 
child  Jesus.”  The  infinite  lies  nearer  to  the  soul  of  a  child 
than  we  are  aware.  Indeed,  it  is  a  all  about  us  in  our 
infancy.” 

Let  us  not,  then,  be  surprised,  if  we  find  the  Son  of  God, 
who  is  equally  the  Son  of  man,  subjected  to  the  will  of  his 
human  parents,  increasing  in  years  and  strength,  and  in 
favor  with  God  and  man,  performing  the  accustomed  round 
of  duties,  secular  and  religious,  mingling  with  his  neighbors 
and  kinsfolk  in  the  humble  town  of  Nazareth, — asking  and 
hearing  questions  with  the  doctors  in  the  temple,  working 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


2* 


at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  or  celebrating  the  rites  of  the 
Jewish  faith.  Let  us  not  be.  surprised,  if  we  behold  him 
weeping  with  those  that  weep,  and  rejoicing  with  those 
that  rejoice,  toiling  through  life’s  rugged  road,  and  min¬ 
gling  in  the  temptations  and  sufferings  of  our  common  lot. 
Above  all,  let  us  not  be  shocked,  if  we  hear  his  towns¬ 
people  speak  of  him  contemptuously  as  “  the  carpenter’s 
son,”  whose  kinsfolk  they  knew,  or  if  we  find  him  u  de¬ 
spised  and  rejected  of  men,  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief.”  If  the  life  of  man,  in  any  state,  is  “  a  great 
and  inscrutable  mystery” — if  the  life  especially  of  a  good 
man,  even  in  the  lowest  walks  of  poverty,  has  in  it  some¬ 
thing  divine,  let  us  not  wonder  that  the  Son  of  God  should 
pass  through  such  a  life,  and  thereby  make  it  more  “  sub¬ 
lime”  than  poets  and  philosophers  have  ever  dreamed. 

Little  or  nothing  is  related  of  the  first  thirty  years  of  our 
Saviour’s  course.  A  single  circumstance,  however,  like  an 
opening  through  the  clouds  into  the  serene  depths  beyond, 
reveals  its  celestial  quality.  “  Wist  ye  not,”  said  he  to  his 
astonished  parents,  touching  his  interview  with  the  doctors 
in  the  temple,  “  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Fa¬ 
ther’s  business  ?”  Here  the  consciousness  of  a  lofty  spirit¬ 
ual  destiny,  and  an  actual  preparation  for  it,  are  indicated 
among  the  common  cares  and  sympathies  of  his  life.  No 
wonder  the  virgin  mother  “  laid  up  this  saying  in  her  heart.” 
It  contains  the  secret  of  his  nature  and  mission,  and  proves 
the  possession,  in  boyhood,  of  the  same  views  and  feelings 
which  made  it  “  a  joy”  to  die  for  the  race. 

Some  time  before  the  commencement  of  Christ’s  public 


28 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


career,  Judea  was  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  Roman 
province.  Archelaus,  after  a  weak  and  ill-omened  reign  as 
ethnarch  for  nine  years,  was  banished  into  Gaul,  and  the 
country  subjected  to  the  despotic  and  capricious  control  of 
Pontius  Pilate,  the  Roman  procurator,  who  took  every  op¬ 
portunity  of  humbling  the  Jews,  and  breaking  their  national 
spirit.  He  introduced,  not  only  into  Caesarea,  his  ordinary 
residence,  but  into  Jerusalem,  the  idolatrous  standards  of 
the  Roman  army,  and  attempted  to  suspend  certain  buck¬ 
lers,  bearing  the  image  of  the  Emperor,  in  the  palace  of 
Herod.  The  Sanhedrim  was  still  permitted  to  exercise 
some  jurisdiction,  but  was  sadly  checked  and  degraded, 
in  comparison  with  its  former  authority  and  influence. 
Throughout  the  country,  publicans  or  tax-gatherers  under 
the  appointment  of  Rome,  constantly  reminded  the  people 
of  their  subjection  to  a  foreign  ruler.  Galling  burdens 
chafed  them  at  every  point.  Their  very  religion  was  sub¬ 
jected  to  rude  pagan  interference.  The  high-priest  was 
displaced  at  the  pleasure  of  the  Roman  procurator,  and 
sometimes  with  insulting  levity  and  violence.  Religious 
sects  were  inflamed  against  each  other.  The  most  fierce 
and  sanguinary  fanaticism  raged  amongst  the  followers 
and  imitators  of  Judas  the  Gaulonite.  Excesses  and  tu¬ 
mults  were  common,  though  repressed  by  the  iron  hand  of 
Pilate,  who  more  than  once  mingled  the  blood  of  zealots 
with  their  sacrifices.  Indeed,  the  whole  country  was  in  a 
ferment,  resembling  a  volcano  heaving  and  dashing  beneath 
the  thin  surface  previous  to  a  violent  irruption. 

John  the  Baptist,  stern  and  lofty  as  a  rock  of  the  desert. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


29 


Was  commissioned  by  Heaven  as  the  messenger  of  the 
Lord,  who,  coming  “  in  the  power  and  spirit  of  Elias,  was 
to  introduce  him  to  the  world.  He  made  his  appearance 
in  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  by  the  banks  of  the  sacred  Jor¬ 
dan.  In  awful  and  thrilling  tones,  like  a  voice  from  eter¬ 
nity,  he  proclaimed  the  speedy  advent  of  the  Messiah,  and 
the  establishment  of  his  kingdom  on  earth.  In  view  of  this 
august  event  he  baptized,  in  the  Jordan,  great  multitudes 
who  repented  of  their  sins,  and  professed  to  receive  his 
teaching  respecting  the  promised  Messiah.  But  few,  com¬ 
paratively,  understood  the  spiritual  nature  of  “  the  kingdom 
of  God,”  and  all,  with  scarce  an  exception,  were  expecting 
in  the  Christ,  a  mighty  conqueror,  a  glorious  earth-born 
king.  That  the  great  multitudes  who  were  baptized  by 
John,  in  anticipation  of  the  Messiah’s  advent,  were  sincere 
in  their  belief,  so  far  as  it  went,  cannot  be  doubted.  A 
great  and  happy  reformation  of  manners  was  the  result,  by 
which  the  way  was  prepared  for  the  public  appearance  of 
the  Messiah.  In  a  word,  the  dawn  of  the  morning  was 
visible  on  the  hills.  The  star  which  heralded  the  ap¬ 
proaching  sun,  shone  bright  and  clear  in  the  horizon. 

So  great  was  the  influence  and  authority  of  John  the 
Baptist,  that  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Jewish  Coun¬ 
cil,  who  sent  a  deputation  to  inquire  into  his  claims.  He 
distinctly  acknowledged  that  he  was  not  the  Messiah,  nor 
Elijah,  nor  Jeremiah,  nor  one  of  the  old  prophets,  who? 
according  to  Jewish  tradition,  was  to  precede  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah,  and  perform  certain  wonderful  actions  in 
the  temple  and  elsewhere ;  but  he  intimated  that  he  was 

3* 


30 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


the  Herald  of  the  Lord,  whose  “  baptism  of  fire  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost’*  was  dimly  typified  by  his  inferior  baptism 
in  the  waters  of  the  Jordan. 

While  John  was  thus  engaged  attracting  the  attention 
of  the  nation,  and  gathering  crowds  of  followers,  Jesus 
himself  appeared  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  requested 
baptism  at  his  hands.  Struck  with  his  appearance  of  dig¬ 
nity,  and  inwardly  convinced  that  he  was  the  Messiah, 
though  not  officially  certified  of  the  fact,  John,  who  freely 
acknowledged  his  immeasurable  inferiority  to  Christ,  de¬ 
clined  the  service,  saying,  “  I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of 
thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me?”  But  yielding  to  the  au¬ 
thority  of  Jesus,  who  replied,  K  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now,  for 
thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness,”  he  went 
down  with  him  into  the  water  and  administered  the  sacred 
rite.  As  Jesus  ascended  from  the  water,  a  luminous  ap¬ 
pearance,  in  the  form,  or  with  the  motion  of  a  dove,*  (in  all 
ages  the  symbol  of  purity  and  gentleness,  and,  in  this  in¬ 
stance,  of  the  Holy  Ghost,)  descended  upon  the  head  of  Je¬ 
sus,  and  a  voice  was  heard  from  heaven,  recognizing  him 
as  the  Son  of  God,  well  pleasing  to  the  Father,  and  his 
accredited  Messenger  to  the  world.  It  was  at  this  point 
that  John  knew,  for  certainty,  that  Jesus  was  the  promised 
Messiah,  and  from  that  hour  he  commended  him  to  the 
people  as  “  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin 
of  the  world.”  “  For,  although  the  Baptist  had  a  glimpse 
of  him,”  says  Jeremy  Taylor,  “  by  the  first  irradiations  of 


*  Slaii  irepiffTepav,  Matt.  3,  16.  Ei>  aco/zartKco  ei6et,  Lake  3,  22. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


31 


the  Spirit,  yet  John  professed  that  he  therefore  came  bap¬ 
tizing  with  water,  that  £  Jesus  might  be  manifested  to  Is¬ 
rael,’  and  it  was  also  a  sign  given  to  the  Baptist  himself, 
that  ‘  on  whomsoever  he  saw  the  Spirit  descending  and 
remaining,’  he  is  the  person  ‘  that  baptizeth  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.’  And  God  chose  to  actuate  the  sign  at  the  waters 
of  Jordan,  in  great  and  religious  assemblies,  convened  there 
at  John’s  baptism  ;  and  therefore,  Jesus  came  to  be  bap¬ 
tized,  and,  by  this  baptism,  became  known  to  John,  who, 
as  before  he  gave  to  him  an  indiscriminate  testimony,  so 
now  he  pointed  out  the  person  in  his  sermons  and  dis¬ 
courses,  and  by  calling  him  £  the  Lamb  of  God,’  prophesied 
of  his  passion,  and  preached  him  to  be  the  world’s  Re¬ 
deemer  and  the  sacrifice  for  mankind."'’* 

More  than  ever  did  the  Baptist  feel  his  own  inferiority 
to  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  consequent  inferiority  of  his  mis¬ 
sion,  a  circumstance  which  he  ever  avowed  in  the  most 
expressive  terms,  a  proof  at  once  of  his  humility  and  his 
greatness.  The  Bridegroom  was  come,  and  he  was  satis¬ 
fied.  He  therefore  joyfully  united  with  his  followers  in 
the  exaltation  of  Jesus,  as  the  true  Messiah,  the  Bridegroom 
of  the  Church,  “  the  Redeemer”  of  the  world.  “  He  must 
increase,  but  I  must  decrease.”  The  day  breaks — the  twi¬ 
light  fades.  The  sun  itself  is  rising  in  the  heavens,  and 
the  herald  star  is  lost  in  the  deepening  radiance. 

It  may  appear  a  strange  thing  that  Jesus  was  baptized, 
but  it  was  in  accordance  with  his  character  and  mission. 


*  Works,  Vol.  II,  p.  184,  English  edition. 


32  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

Baptism  shadows  forth  u  the  remission  of  sins,”  and  would 
seem  suitable  only  for  a  guilty  penitent.  But  “  he  who 
knew  no  sin  was  made  sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.”  Hence  it  was  meet,  in 
assuming  the  work  of  our  Redemption,  to  take  upon  him 
our  sin  in  this  emblematic  rite.  Nothing  indeed  could  be 
more  appropriate  at  the  commencement  of  his  public  career. 

In  addition  to  this,  baptism,  as  all  admit,  is  a  symbol  of 
separation,  of  transition  and  consecration.  Thus  it  be¬ 
hooved  Christ,  in  this  solemn  ordinance,  to  “fulfill  all  right¬ 
eousness.”  By  this  means,  he  was  separated  from  the 
common  and  inferior  life  of  man  to  one  of  a  mediatorial  and 
sacrificial  character.  He  then  passed  into  a  new  sphere, 
and  publicly  consecrated  himself  to  the  great  work  of  our 
salvation.  This,  doubtless,  is  the  reason  why  the  particu¬ 
lar  occasion  was  selected,  to  reveal  him  to  John  as  the 
Messiah,  and  announce  his  claims  to  the  world,  as  the  be¬ 
loved  Son  of  God,  and  the  Messenger  of  his  will.  u  This,” 
says  the  venerable  bishop  already  quoted,  “  was  the  inau¬ 
guration  and  proclamation  of  the  Messias,  when  he  began 
to  be  the  great  prophet  of  the  New  Covenant.  And  this 
was  the  greatest  meeting  that  ever  was  upon  earth,  when 
the  whole  cabinet  of  the  mysterious  Trinity  was  opened 
and  shown,  as  much  as  the  capacities  of  our  present  im¬ 
perfections  will  permit ;  the  second  person  in  the  veil  of 
humanity,  the  third  in  the  shape,  or  with  the  motion  of  a 
dove  ;  but  the  first  kept  his  primitive  state;  and  as  to  the 
Israelites,  he  gave  notice  byway  of  caution,  1  ye  saw  no 
shape,  but  ye  heard  a  voice  so  also  now  God  the  Father 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


33 


gave  testimony  to  his  holy  Son,  and  appeared  only  in  a 
voice  without  any  bodily  presentment.”* 

Furthermore,  may  not  the  baptism  of  Christ  be  regarded 
as  an  emblem  of  the  great  atonement,  the  principal  and 
crowning  act  of  our  Lord’s  mediation  on  earth  1  Did  it  not 
adumbrate  that  baptism  of  blood  and  agony,  that  mysterious 
passage  through  “  the  Red  Sea”  of  his  sufferings,  which 
closed  the  drama  of  his  life,  and  to  which,  in  his  conversa¬ 
tions  with  his  disciples,  he  so  frequently  referred ?  “I 
have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  how  am  I  strait¬ 
ened  till  it  is  accomplished.”  So  that  there  is  more  of 
meaning  than  most  persons  are  aware,  in  the  idea  of  the 
Apostle,  when  he  says  that  we  are  “buried  with  him  by 
baptism  unto  death.”  “For  if  we  are  planted  in  the  like¬ 
ness  of  his  death” — in  that,  namely,  which  is  the  likeness 
or  symbol  of  his  death,  “  we  shall  be  also  in  the  likeness 
of  his  resurrection.” 

For  these  reasons,  the  baptism  of  Christ  may  be  regarded 
as  a  public  dedication  of  Christ  to  the  great  work  of  our 
salvation — as  an  expressive  symbol  of  the  manner  in 
which  that  work  was  to  be  accomplished, — and  as  a  sol¬ 
emn  confirmation  of  the  rite  itself  for  the  observance  of  his 
followers. 

After  his  baptism,  Jesus  was  taken  into  the  wilderness 
to  endure  the  most  terrible  temptation  which  ever  assaulted 
our  race.  He  must  not  only  be  consecrated  but  tested , — 
that,  overcoming  evil  by  good,  he  might  teach  his  followers 


*  Works,  Vol.  II,  p.  185. 


34 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


a  lesson  of  endurance  anchself-denial.  Whatever  was  the 
nature  of  this  temptation,  the  alternative  was  presented  to 
him  of  earthly  dominion,  the  applause  of  men,  and  the 
splendors  of  state,  or  a  life  of  sorrow  and  suffering-  with  a 
kingdom  of  righteousness  and  love.  Not  a  moment  did  he 
hesitate  between  them ;  but  true  to  his  high  nature  and 
mission,  rejected  all  earthly  power  and  influence,  even  in 
the  support  of  religion,  and  preferred  a  life  of  poverty  and 
shame  with  moral  influence  and  spiritual  dominion.*  This 
fact,  like  his  birth  and  his  baptism,  was  descriptive  of  his 
future  course,  and  the  nature  of  that  pure  and  peaceful 
reign  which  he  should  establish  in  the  minds  of  men.  In 
this  respect,  the  views  of  Christ  were  original  and  peculiar. 
Rising  above  his  own  age,  and  above  all  other  ages,  above 
all  the  speculations  of  philosophy,  and  all  the  usages  of 
society,  he  rejected  all  external  aids,  all -physical  force  and 
temporal  rule,  and  established  a  religion  purely  spiritual, 
and  thence  universal  and  eternal.  u  My  kingdom,”  said 
he,  explaining  this  sublime  fact,  “  is  not  of  this  world.” 
No,  it  is  a  divine  kingdom  over  which  he  presides — u  the 
kingdom  of  God,” — in  other  words,  a  kingdom  of  truth, 
righteousness  and  love.  How  Godlike  this  !  How  worthy 
of  the  character  and  claims  of  a  Divine  Messenger !  Men 
have  never  been  able  to  separate  the  spiritual  from  the  car¬ 
nal,  the  Divine  from  the  earthly.  But  Jesus  did  this  at  the 


*  It  has  been  strikingly  remarked,  that  what  Jesus  rejected,  the  corrupted  church  of 
the  sixth  century  accepted  by  uniting  the  power  and  splendor  of  earthly  rule  with  the 
religion  of  the  Son  of  God. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


35 


very  commencement  of  his  course,  and  thereby  read  the 
world  a  lesson,  which  they  are  too  slow  to  learn. 

True  to  this  grand  conception,  Jesus  went  forth  a  to 
teach  and  to  preach,”  amid  the  hills  and  valleys  of  Pales* 
tine.  He  addressed  himself  chiefly  to  the  common  people, 
in  language  of  great  originality,  naturalness  and  force. 
He  spoke  to  them  respecting  God  and  the  soul,  duty  and 
danger,  life  and  immortality,  as  man  had  never  before 
spoken.  So  simple,  so  clear,  so  striking,  so  authoritative  was 
it,  that  they  could  not  but  listen,  and  acknowledge  its  power. 
Attracting  to  himself  a  few  simple  and  child-like  souls, 
he  made  known  to  them  the  principles  of  his  kingdom,  in 
terms  so  familiar  and  striking,  so  transparent  and  perfect, 
that,  while  from  our  familiarity  with  them,  they  seem  the 
merest  commonplaces,  they  are  yet  the  most  profound  and 
thrilling  verities.  But  they  never  would  have  become  com* 
monplaces,  even  to  us,  unless  they  had  possessed,  at  first, 
the  most  perfect  originality,  as  well  as  the  most  transparent 
simplicity.  Meditated  deeply,  they  will  appear  most  won¬ 
derful  in  their  simple  beauty  and  divine  significance.  So 
natural  and  yet  so  pregnant,  so  clear  and  yet  so  striking, 
so  plain  and  yet  so  profound,  they  resemble  the  works  of 
God,  which,  while  they  attract  a  child  by  their  freshness 
and  beauty,  engage  a  philosopher  by  their  grandeur  and 
perfection.  The  language  of  Christ  is  not  that  of  the 
schools,  far  less  of  the  rhetoricians.  It  is  scarcely  lan¬ 
guage  at  all ;  so  transparent  is  it,  you  see  the  things 
rather  than  the  words.  It  is  a  revelation — a  revelation  as 
varied,  as  fresh  and  significant  as  that  of  nature  itself. 


36  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD, 

How  new,  yet  how  easy  and  familiar — -just  like  the  well- 
known  face  of  nature,  in  which  homeliness  and  beauty, 
variety  and  grandeur,  flitting  shadows  and  gleams  of  sun¬ 
light,  are  mingled  in  singular  but  harmonious  combination. 
In  a  word,  it  is  the  language  of  intuition,  of  revelation — 
that  is  to  say,  of  God.  “  Never  man  spake  like  this  man  !” 
Sometimes  in  the  synagogues,  but  oftener  in  the  open  air, 
by  the  way-side,  or  by  the  well,  on  the  hill-top,  or  by  the 
margin  of  the  lake,  in  the  shadow  of  the  temple,  or  in  the 
deep  solitude  of  the  wilderness,  he  uttered  his  words  of  wis¬ 
dom  and  love.  Nothing  could  be  more  natural,  nothing 
more  beautiful  and  impressive.  “  In  the  spring,”  says  Jor- 
tin,  “  our  Saviour  went  into  the  fields,  and  sat  down  on  a 
mountain,  and  made  the  discourse  which  is  recorded  in  St. 
Matthew,  and  which  is  full  of  observations  arising  from 
the  things  which  opened  themselves  to  his  sight.  For 
when  he  exhorted  his  disciples  to  trust  in  God,  he  bade 
them  behold  the  fowls  of  the  air,  which  were  then  flying 
about  them,  and  were  fed  by  Divine  Providence,  though 
they  did  not  4  sow  nor  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns.’  He 
bade  them  take  notice  of  the  lilies  of  the  field  which  were 
then  blown,  and  were  so  beautifully  clothed  by  the  same 
power,  and  yet  4  toiled  not,’  like  the  husbandmen  who 
were  then  at  work.  Being  in  a  place  where  they  ‘had  a 
wide  prospect  of  cultivated  land,  he  bade  them  observe  how 
God  caused  the  sun  to  shine,  and  the  rain  to  descend  upon 
the  fields  and  gardens,  even  of  the  wicked  and  ungrateful. 
And  he  continued  to  convey  his  doctrine  to  them  under 
rural  images,  speaking  of  good  trees ,  and  corrupt  trees  ;  of 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


37 


wolves  in  sheep's  clothing1 ;  of  grapes  not  growing  upon 
thorns,  or  figs  on  thistles  ;  of  the  folly  of  casting  precious 
things  to  dogs  and  swine of  good  measure,  pressed  down, 
and  shaken  together,  and  running  over.  Speaking  at  the 
same  time  to  the  people,  many  of  whom  were  fishermen, 
and  lived  much  upon  fish,  he  says :  What  man  of  you  will 
give  his  son  a  serpent  if  he  ask  a  fish  ?  Therefore,  when  he 
said  in  the  same  discourse,  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world;  a 
city  that  is  set  upon  a  hill  cannot  he  lad ,  it  is  probable  that 
he  pointed  to  a  city  within  their  view,  situated  upon  the 
brow  of  a  hill.  And  when  he  called  them  the  salt  of  the 
earth ,  he  alluded,  perhaps,  to  the  husbandmen  who  were 
manuring  the  ground.  And  when  he  compared  every  per¬ 
son  who.  observed  his  precepts  to  a  man  who  built  a  house 
upon  a  rock,  which  stood  firm  ;  and  every  one  who  slighted 
his  word,  to  a  man  who  built  a  house  upon  the  sand, 
which  was  thrown  down  by  the  winds  and  floods — when 
he  used  this  comparison,  ’tis  not  improbable  that  he  had 
before  his  eyes,  houses  standing  upon  high  ground,  and 
houses  standing  in  the  valley  in  a  ruinous  condition,  which 
had  been  destroyed  by  inundations.”* 

The  originality  and  imaginative  beauty  of  his  parables, 
in  which  the  highest,  most  abstract  and  spiritual  truths  are 
embodied,  in  familiar  forms,  must  have  greatly  struck  the 
minds  of  the  people.  And  yet  how  profound  they  are ! 
Containing  a  mine  of  spiritual  truth,  they  are  yet  simple 
and  clear  as  the  sunshine  or  the  dew.  God  and  the  soul, 


*  Discourses  by  Jortin. 

4 


38 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


duty  and  reward,  sin  and  punishment,  life  and  death,  time 
and  eternity,  heaven  and  hell,  are  incarnated  in  these  won¬ 
drous  revelations.  The  most  delicate  and  affecting  rela¬ 
tions,  the  deepest  passions,  the  most  amazing  facts  and 
changes  in  the  world  of  spirit,  are  pictured  forth  in  shapes 
of  living  beauty  and  power.  What  can  surpass  the  story 
of  “the  Prodigal  Son.”  “  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,”  “  the 
good  Shepherd,”  the  “  Ten  Virgins”  and  “the  Marriage 
Supper.”  What  stores  of  holy  wisdom  are  contained  in 
these,  and  similar  symbolic  revelations! 

While  the  common  people  heard  him  gladly,  such  was 
the  grossness  of  the  age,  such  the  carnality  of  its  views, 
that  the  great  mass  understood  little  of  his  doctrine.  It 
was  lodged,  however,  like  living  seed  in  the  hearts  of  a  few 
heaven-born  men.  Checking  their  carnal  views,  correcting 
their  prejudices  and  winning  their  affections,  he  gradually 
led  them  forth  from  the  gross  darkness  of  a  corrupted  Juda¬ 
ism,  into  the  pure  light  of  Christianity.  His  miracles  at 
first  were  few  and  unimposing,  just  enough  to  attract  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  truth,  and  attest  the  divinity  of  his  mission. 
They  wrnre  all  distinguished  by  their  gentle  and  benevolent 
character,  and  like  his  parables,  had  a  profound  spiritual 
import.  The  poor,  the  maimed,  the  sorrowful,  the  halt,  the 
blind,  the  dumb,  the  paralytic,  the  lunatic,  followed  him, 
and  he  healed  them  all ;  but  while  healing  their  bodily 
maladies  he  never  failed  to  administer  to  their  spiritual 
wants  ;  thus  teaching  his  disciples,  in  all  ages  of  the  world, 
that  his  religion  is  intended  to  benefit  and  bless  at  once  the 
body  and  the  soul,  and  that  it  behooves  them  to  “  visit  the 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


39 


fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,”  while  u  keeping 
themselves  unspotted  from  the  world.”  u  He  went  about 
doing  good,”  preaching  righteousness,  charity  and  peace, 
directing  the  attention  of  his  followers  to  the  paternal 
character  of  God,  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man,  and 
that  holy  love  which  unites  us  to  God  and  to  one  another 
by  indissoluble  and  eternal  ties  ;  intimating  his  own  special 
and  mysterious  relation,  first  to  the  Father,  and  secondly  to 
the  race  ;  announcing  in  no  ambiguous  terms,  that  divine 
atonement  which  he  was  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem,  by 
means  of  suffering  and  death  ;  and  a  bringing  to  light”  that 
“  life  hid  with  God,”  and  that  u  glorious  immortality,”  to  be 
conferred  upon  those  who  believe  in  his  name.  But  it  was 
long  before  he  was  fully  understood,  even  by  his  immediate 
followers.  Many  who  recognized  him  as  the  Messiah  for¬ 
sook  him,  when  they  began  to  perceive  his  spiritual  and 
self-denying  character.  A  few  only  apprehended  his  mean¬ 
ing,  and  clung  to  his  person.  And  even  they  long  labored 
under  the  influence  of  national  and  personal  prejudices,  and 
followed  him,  so  to  speak,  in  the  dark,  by  the  force  of  a 
secret  and  irresistible  attraction. 

At  first  our  Saviour’s  ministrations  were  somewhat  cau¬ 
tious  and  private — partly  that  his  true  character  and  claims 
might  not  be  mistaken  ;  partly,  too,  that  his  more  carnal  fol¬ 
lowers  might  not  force  him  into  a  false  position,  and  partly 
that  the  crowning  act  of  his  life,  that  for  which  chiefly  he 
had  come  into  the  world,  might  not  be  precipitated.  How 
calm  he  was,  how  still  and  deliberate — how  free  from 
aught  like  false  enthusiasm  or  fanaticism !  How  divine, 


40 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


in  this,  as  in  all  else  of  his  wonderful  career!  He  appears, 
in  fact,  to  have  embodied  the  perfection  of  reason  with  the 
perfection  of  love.  His  feeling  was  so  intense  as  to  carry 
him  forward  with  irresistible  energy,  to  the  cross  and  the 
crown ;  and  yet  so  still,  (doubtless  by  reason  of  the  depth 
and  steadiness  of  its  current,)  that  its  momentum  could  not 
be  perceived.  In  every  thing  he  was  calm,  patient,  deliber¬ 
ate — and  yet  how  direct,  how  earnest,  how  resistless  in 
his  progress  to  the  end !  As  he  approached  u  his  hour,”  he 
became  more  and  more  open,  decided  and  bold,  moving 
right  onward  with  the  majesty  of  a  God,  to  that  cross  of 
agony  and  shame  which  he  had  deliberately  chosen  as 
the  means  of  a  world’s  salvation. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Capernaum  the  centre  of  Christ’s  operations.  The  reason  of  this.  His  attendance 
at  the  three  great  festivals.  His  appearance  in  the  temple.  Its  import.  Miracle  at 
the  second  Passover.  The  assertion  and  vindication  of  his  claims  as  the  Son  of  God. 
His  appearance  at  the  third  annual  festival  or  series  of  festivals.  The  resurrection  of 
Lazarus,  and  the  excitement  thence  produced.  The  death  of  Christ  resolved  by 
the  Jewish  Sanhedrim.  The  reason  of  his  rejection  by  the  Jews,  Sadducees,  Phari¬ 
sees,  Herodians,  Essenes.  Jesus  presses  steadily  to  the  closing  scene.  Appearance 
at  the  Passover,  and  triumphal  entry  into  the  Holy  City.  Institution  of  the  Supper. 
His  agony  in  Gethsemane.  Contrasts.  Humanity  and  Divinity — suffering  and  beati¬ 
tude — degradation  and  glory.  The  meaning  of  the  whole.  The  finite  united  with 
the  Infinite,  the  sinful  with  the  Sinless. 

In  the  commencement,  and  during  a  large  portion  of  his 
ministry,  our  Saviour  retired  into  Galilee,  making  Caper¬ 
naum,  at  the  north-western  extremity  of  the  sea  of  Galilee, 
or  lake  of  Gennesareth,  which  lies,  in  solemn  beauty,  amid 
the  lofty  mountains  of  northern  Palestine,  the  centre  of  his 
plans  and  operations.*  Here  he  collected  and  organized 
his  first  disciples.  Here  he  ordained  his  twelve  apostles,  and 
here,  also,  he  performed  some  of  his  most  affecting  miracles. 
There  was  peculiar  wisdom  in  this.  The  metropolis  of 


*  The  sea  of  Galilee,  or  lake  of  Gennesareth,  is  also  called  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  some¬ 
times  the  sea  of  Cinneroth,  from  the  adjacent  country,  or  the  principal  town  upon  its 
shores.  According  to  Josephus  and  Pliny,  it  is  sixteen  miles  in  length,  and  about  six  in 
breadth.  It  has  been  compared  to  the  lake  of  Geneva,  though  somewhat  inferior  to  the 
latter  in  extent  and  grandeur.  Lying  in  a  deep  basin,  and  surrounded  by  lofty  moun¬ 
tains,  it  has  an  air  of  peculiar  stillness  and  grandeur.  “  Its  broad  and  extended  surface,” 
says  Dr.  E.  D.  Clarke,  “covering  the  bottom  of  a  profound  valley,  environed  by  lofty 
and  precipitous  eminences,  added  to  the  impression  of  a  certain  reverential  awe,  under 
which  every  Christian  pilgrim  approaches  it,  gives  it  a  character  of  dignity  unparalleled 
by  any  similar  scenery. —  Travels ,  p.  462. 


4* 


42 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


the  country  was  proud  and  vicious.  Moreover,  it  was  in  a 
disturbed  and  unhappy  condition,  and  therefore  little  pre¬ 
pared  to  receive  the  teachings  or  appreciate  the  character 
of  a  purely  spiritual  Messiah.  But  the  people  were  pre¬ 
pared,  in  some  measure,  to  listen  to  the  Son  of  God,  in  the 
quiet  rural  retreats,  under  the  shadow  of  the  solitary  moun- ' 
tain,  on  the  brink  of  the  river,  or  of  the  placid  lake.  Besides, 
the  district  of  Galilee  possessed  a  large  and  intelligent 
population.  So  populous  was  it,  that  according  to  Josephus, 
in  a  region  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  miles  in  length,  and 
between  sixty  and  seventy  in  breadth,  were  no  less  than 
two-hundred  and  four  towns  and  villages,  the  smallest  of 
which  contained  15,000  souls.  This  would  give  to  the 
whole  province  something  like  three  to  four  millions  of  in¬ 
habitants.  Of  these,  the  great  majority  were  Jews,  with  a 
considerable  sprinkling  of  Syrian  Greeks,  and  of  other  for¬ 
eign  races.  In  this  region,  then  governed  by  Herod 
Antipas,  who  does  not  appear  to  have  been  particularly 
hostile  to  Jesus,  the  latter  was  permitted  to  pursue  his  mis¬ 
sion  with  greater  freedom  than  in  Judea.  Still,  as  the  time 
drew  near  for  the  complete  development  of  his  plans,  he 
advanced  towards  Jerusalem,  and  proclaimed  there,  in  clear 
and  decisive  tones,  his  high  and  mysterious  claims  as  the 
true  Messiah,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Redeemer  of  the  world. 

He  made  a  point  of  attending  the  annual  festivals,  par¬ 
ticularly  that  of  the  Passover,  at  which  times  immense 
multitudes  of  pious  Jews,  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
crowded  the  streets  and  suburbs  of  Jerusalem,  and  pressed 
with  their  offerings  towards  “  the  holy  place.”  According 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


43 


to  the  received  opinion,  three  such  festivals  mark  the  prin¬ 
cipal  points  in  our  Saviour’s  public  career.  At  the  first  of 
these,  he  appeared  in  the  temple,  as  its  Lord  and  Possessor, 
and  drove  out  the  impious  and  mercenary  traders  who 
defiled,  with  their  traffic,  its  outer  courts.  This  would  be 
understood  by  the  people  generally  as  an  assertion  of  his 
Messiahship,  and  his  claim  to  the  homage  and  service  of  all. 
For  it  had  been  distinctly  predicted  by  one  of  the  ancient 
prophets :  u  The  Lord  whom  ye  seek  will  suddenly  come 
to  his  temple,  even  the  Messenger  of  the  covenant  whom  ye 
delight  in.”  Hence  they  immediately  demanded  a  sign  to 
justify  such  a  claim.  By  this  they  meant  not  an  ordinary 
sign  or  miracle,  such  as  healing  the  sick,  or  opening  the 
eyes  of  the  blind,  but  a  more  public  and  magnificent  sign — 
“a  sign  from  Heaven,”  as  they  phrased  it,  that  is  to  say, 
such  a  sign  as  they  deemed  peculiar  to  the  mission  of  the 
Messiah.  This,  according  to  some,  would  be  the  glorious 
appearance  of  Christ  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  or  in  the 
Holy  Place,  surrounded  by  celestial  light,  and  angelic  at¬ 
tendance,  or  according  to  others,  his  standing  upon  Mount 
Olivet,  sword  in  hand,  prepared  to  lead  the  nation  to  victory 
and  renown,  or  the  actual  destruction,  by  his  hand,  of  the 
Roman  armies.  But  our  Saviour  replied  to  them  by  a 
mysterious  symbolic  allusion  to  his  own  death  and  resur¬ 
rection,  which  they  understood  with  reference  to  the  de¬ 
struction  and  rebuilding  of  the  temple.  u  Destroy  this 
temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up  again.”  This 
jarred  upon  their  feelings  of  reverence  for  the  holy  place, 


44 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


and  shocked  all  their  preconceptions  of  the  Messiah  and 
his  reign. 

At  the  second  Passover  he  performed  a  marvellous  cure 
at  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  claimed  to  be  the  Lord  of  the  Sab¬ 
bath,  and  asserted  his  right,  in  consequence  of  his  oneness 
with  the  Father,  to  make  changes  in  the  institutions  of 
religion.  This  disturbed  the  Pharisees.  But  so  far  from 
satisfying  them,  he  claimed  more  than  this,  and  insisted 
that,  being  the  Son  of  God,  and  his  representative  on  earth, 
he  had  the  power  of  life  and  death,  of  sovereignty  and 
judgment,  and  that  all  men  were  bound  to  u  honor  him, 
even  as  they  honor  the  Father.”  In  proof  of  this,  he 
referred  to  the  testimony  of  John  the  Baptist,  the  attesta¬ 
tion  of  the  Father,  and  the  corroborative  testimony  of  the 
old  Testament  Scriptures. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  third  annual  festival,  or 
series  of  festivals,  Jesus  conceals  himself  from  observation 
near  the  fountains  of  the  Jordan.  He  also  permits  his  fol¬ 
lowers  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  without  him,  veiling  under 
ambiguous  language  his  own  intention  of  going  thither,  in 
order  that  he  may  act  with  greater  freedom,  and  prevent 
any  indiscreet  announcement  of  his  approach  to  the  city. 
While  many  inquiries  are  made  respecting  him,  and  the 
minds  of  the  multitude  in  Jerusalem  are  agitated  with  the 
discussion  of  his  claims,  he  suddenly  appears  in  the  temple, 
and  takes  his  place  as  a  public  teacher.  At  different  inter¬ 
vals  he  proclaims  in  the  boldest  manner  his  high  preroga¬ 
tives  as  the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  asserts  more  dis¬ 
tinctly  than  ever  his  mysterious  relations  to  the  Father, 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


45 


cures  a  man  bom  blind,  and  explains  himself,  in  such  a  way, 
as  greatly  to  enrage  the  Jewish  Sanhedrim,  and  shock  the 
prejudices  of  the  people.  After  this  he  retires  for  a  time, 
from  Jerusalem ;  but  about  the  feast  of  the  dedication  in 
the  winter,  again  makes  his  appearance  in  one  of  the 
arcades  or  porticoes  of  the  temple,  which,  from  its  unusual 
splendor,  was  called  Solomon’s ;  and  in  reply  to  a  question 
respecting  the  reality  of  his  claims,  affirms  his  absolute 
oneness  with  the  Father,  and  explains  it  in  such  a  way  as 
to  excite  the  rage  of  the  hearers,  who  take  up  stones  to 
stone  him,  as  one  guilty  of  the  most  horrible  blasphemy. 
Escaping  out  of  their  hands,  he  again  retires  from  the  city ; 
and  after  some  time,  is  found  in  Bethany,  where  he  raises 
Lazarus  from  the  dead,  an  event  which  produces  in  Jerusa¬ 
lem  the  greatest  excitement.  The  priests  are  alarmed,  the 
Sanhedrim  is  instantly  summoned,  and  the  death  of  Jesus 
is  deliberately  resolved.  But  our  Saviour  again  avoids  the 
gathering  storm,  and  withdraws  to  the  wild  and  moun¬ 
tainous  district  which  divides  Judea  from  Samaria. 

It  was  in  this  gradual  way  that  Jesus  made  preparation 
for  the  completion  of  his  work.  As  he  approached  the 
termination  of  his  earthly  career,  his  teachings  became 
more  clear  and  decisive,  his  miracles  more  striking  and  stu¬ 
pendous.  It  is  quite  obvious,  however,  that  his  character 
and  claims  were  all  fitted  to  excite  the  prejudices  and  hos¬ 
tility  of  the  more  influential  classes,  and  indeed  of  the 
Jewish  people  generally.  Their  views  of  religion  were 
local  and  selfish.  They  expected  a  conquering  Messiah, 
and  sighed  for  the  deliverance  of  the  nation  from  the  yoke 


46 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


of  Rome.  V enerating  the  temple  and  the  laws  of  Moses, 
they  supposed  that  the  Messiah  would  restore  both  to  their 
pristine  supremacy  and  splendor,  that  he  would  make  Jeru¬ 
salem  the  metropolis  of  the  world,  and  go  forth  with  their 
armies,  “  conquering  and  to  conquer.”  Hence  even  those 
who  were  at  first  attracted  to  Christ,  and  longed  to  enthrone 
him  in  the  heart  of  the  nation,  were  disappointed  in  his 
character,  and  gradually  forsook  him.  The  rulers  trembled 
for  their  power.  The  Rabbis  or  teachers  of  the  nation 
were  shocked  with  his  ideas  of  renovation  and  reform. 
The  Sadducees  hated  him  for  his  purity  and  spirituality. 
The  Pharisees  for  his  liberality  and  gentleness.  The 
Herodians  for  his  unworldliness  and  self-sacrifice.  The 
Essenes  for  his  freedom,  his  naturalness,  his  all-compre¬ 
hending  love.*  In  fact  they  neither  understood  his  char¬ 
acter  nor  his  religious  system,  and  all  distinctly  perceived 
that  his  success  must  issue  in  a  complete  revolution  of  the 
nation.  He  set  aside  their  authority  with  a  wmrd,  poured 
contempt  upon  their  subtle  distinctions  **and  learned  com¬ 
ments,  upset  their  traditionary  theology,  demolished  even 
their  personal  claims  and  official  dignities.  Making  no 
account  of  their  sanctity,  and  stultifying  all  their  pretensions, 
he  insisted  on  their  being  “  born  again,”  becoming  u  as  little 
children,”  and  commencing  a  new  spiritual  life.  Thus  they 
perceived  that  if  Jesus  prevailed,  the  whole  fabric  of  their 
power  and  authority  must  crumble  into  ruins.  That  a 
humble  Galilean  peasant,  a  Nazarene,  a  carpenter,  should 


*  For  an  account  of  the  different  Jewish  sects,  see  “  Neander’s  Life  of  Christ.” 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


47 


demand  all  this,  and  demand  it  as  one  having  authority, 
and  not  as  the  Scribes,  demand  it  especially  as  the  Divine 
Messiah,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  the  Judge  of  the  quick 
and  the  dead,  was  preposterous,  was  treasonable  and 
blasphemous. 

On  this  ground,  then,  the  leaders  of  the  people  joined 
issue  with  Jesus,  and  resolved  upon  his  destruction.  In  this, 
however,  they  were  only  fulfilling  the  decrees  of  God  ;  for 
it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  Jesus  should  die.  This, 
indeed,  was  one  of  the  great  ends  of  his  mission.  Though 
the  Son  of  the  Highest,  the  Sovereign  of  the  soul,  the 
Judge  of  the  world,  he  “  must  needs  suffer  many  things  of  the 
chief-priests,  and  die  at  Jerusalem.”  Thus,  “  we  see  Jesus,” 
says  Paul,  “  made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels  for  the 
suffering  of  death,  that  he,  by  the  grace  of  God,  should  taste 
death  for  every  man.  For  it  became  him,  by  whom  and 
for  whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory, 
to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through 
sufferings.” 

Jesus  therefore  steadily  presses  towards  the  closing 
scene.  At  the  passover,  he  again  appears  in  Jerusalem, 
assumes  the  port  and  majesty  of  the  Messiah,  rides  in 
mingled  humility  and  triumph  into  the  Holy  City,  amid  the 
hosannas  of  his  followers — meets  with  his  immediate  dis¬ 
ciples  in  an  upper  room,  plainly  intimates  to  them  the  ap¬ 
proaching  crisis,  and  institutes  the  solemn  rite,  symbolic  of 
his  “  bloody  passion.”  He  discourses  with  them  freely  re¬ 
specting  this  and  kindred  events,  gives  them  such  advice 
as  their  circumstances  demand,  and  pours  out  his  whole 


48 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


heart  of  love,  in  a  strain  of  sacred  fervor  and  eloquence. 
This  is  what  Jeremy  Taylor  calls  u  his  farewell  sermon, 
rarely  mixed  of  sadness  and  joys,  and  studded  with  myste¬ 
ries  as  with  emeralds.”  Among  other  things  he  refers  to 
his  anticipated  u  glorification” — his  entrance  into  heaven, 
u  where  he  was  before” — the  gift  of  the  Holy  Comforter,  as 
a  consequence  of  his  departure — his  u  second  coming” — 
and  the  glorious  state  of  perfection  and  happiness  into 
which  he  would  finally  bring  all  his  followers.  He  com¬ 
mends  them  and  his  Church  universal  to  the  care  of  the 
Father,  and  prays  for  their  unity  and  everlasting  felicity. 

Soon  after  this  he  takes  three  of  his  apostles,  Peter, 
James,  and  John,  who  a  little  while  before  had  seen  “  his 
majesty”  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  visits, 
at  the  hour  of  night,  the  lonely  shades  of  Gethsemane,  just 
under  the  brow  of  Olivet,  from  which  he  had  wept  over 
Jerusalem,  and  there  seeks  to  prepare  his  mind  for  the  ter¬ 
rible  conflict  before  him,  a  conflict  the  most  mysterious  and 
awful  the  universe  has  seen.  For  even  the  anticipation  of 
it  produces  a  fearful  agony,  which  causes  the  blood  to  stand 
in  huge  drops,  upon  his  prostrate  frame.  But  he  grows 
calm,  and  goes  forth,  in  all  the  majesty  of  innocence,  to  the 
fearful  sacrifice. 

But  how  strange  is  all  this  humiliation — all  this  distress 
on  the  part  of  one  who  claims  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Light  of  the  world,  the  Life  of  men,  the  Sovereign  of 
angels,  the  Judge  of  the  living  and  the  dead !  But  why 
strange,  when  for  this  very  purpose  he  came  into  the  world, 
not  in  glory,  but  in  humiliation,  to  work  out  the  redemption 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


49 


of  the  race,  “  suffering  to  the  lowest  bent  of  weakness  in 
the  flesh” — that  he  might  “  triumph  to  the  highest  pitch  of 
glory  in  the  Spirit.”*  Let  us  not  forget,  that,  as  in  his  birth, 
so  during  the  whole  of  his  life,  the  majesty  of  Jesus  was 
generally  concealed  from  the  eyes  of  men.  It  is  the  sun 
behind  the  clouds.  And  yet  enough  of  its  splendor  at  in¬ 
tervals,  breaks  through  the  gloom,  to  indicate  the  presence 
of  the  luminary  beyond.  It  was  God,  manifest  in  the  flesh ; 
and  such  a  manifestation,  so  far  as  the  mere  attributes  of 
majesty  and  power  are  concerned,  must,  after  all,  be  a  veiling 
of  the  Deity.  Hence,  to  carnal  minds,  the  Godhead  of  Christ 
is  wonderfully  hidden  by  his  lowly  birth,  his  poverty  and 
self-denial,  his  agony  in  the  garden,  and  especially  his 
“passion”  on  the  cross.  Enough,  however,  both  of  his 
natural  and  moral  grandeur,  gleams  through  the  whole, 
that  even  sceptics  have  been  compelled  to  acknowledge 
him  in  some  sense,  Divine.  His  innocence,  his  perfect  self- 

forgetfulness,  his  unparalleled  love  and  charity,  his  strange 

% 

superiority  to  the  race,  his  mysteriousness  of  character  and 
conduct,  his  entire  separation  from  the  world,  like  ‘  a  star 
dwelling  apart,’  even  while  mingling  freely  in  society ;  his 
authority  so  lofty  and  decisive,  his  natural,  yet  singular  and 
all-commanding  speech,  his  mastery  over  nature,  walking 
now  upon  the  waves  of  the  sea,  now  becoming  invisible, 
now  appearing  unexpectedly — anon  forgiving  sin,  and  at¬ 
testing  his  power  to  do  so  by  miraculous  cures — opening 
blind  eyes,  unstopping  deaf  ears,  dissipating  the  leprous 


*  Milton.  Of  Reformation  in  England,  p.  1. 

5 


50 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


taint,  and  raising  the  very  dead  ;  his  serenity  and  elevation, 
so  unearthly  and  divine ;  his  visible  communion  with  a 
higher  world,  his  sovereignty  in  the  realm  of  mind  ;  his 
intuitive  knowledge  of  character,  his  clear  insight  into 
futurity,  the  homage  of  his  followers,  the  worship  of  angels, 
his  proclaimed  unity  with  God,  and  the  attestations  of  the 
Father,  his  transfiguration  on  the  Mount,  u  where  his  face 
did  shine  like  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  was  white  and  glis¬ 
tening,”  the  attendance  of  Moses  and  Elias  in  glory,  as  if 
in  expression  of  their  homage  for  his  person,  and  the  won¬ 
derful  revolution  from  Judaism  to  Christianity,  to  be  accom¬ 
plished  by  “  his  decease  at  Jerusalem  his  superiority  over 
death  and  the  grave,  to  which  he  voluntarily  yielded  for  a 
specific  object ;  his  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  his  as-  * 
cension  “  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,”  all 
these  and  similar  manifestations  of  the  Divinity,  prove, 
that  even  when  on  earth  there  dwelt  in  the  man  Christ 
Jesus,  u  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily.” 

But  the  natural  might  and  majesty  of  Jesus,  if  we  may 
so  express  it,  were  shaded  and  held  in  check  by  the  higher 
purposes  of  his  mission.  On  earth  he  exhibited  himself 
mainly  as  an  humble  and  suffering  man,  u  a  man  of  sor¬ 
rows  and  acquainted  with  grief and  he  did  this  in  order 
that  truth,  purity  and  love  might  be  enthroned  over  all  ma¬ 
terial  pomp  and  carnal  glory.  Indeed  the  higher  and  more 
spiritual  nature  of  Christ,  to  the  purified  vision  of  saints 
and  angels,  is  best  revealed  through  his  lowliness ;  for  it  is 
not  so  much  the  might  of  Jehovah,  as  his  grace ;  his  power 
of  creation ,  as  his  power  of  redemption ,  which  forms  his  es- 


51 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 

sential  glory.  The  Jews,  in  their  deep  carnality,  would 
gladly  have  received  a  reigning  and  a  conquering  God ; 
but  a  God  in  the  form  of  a  suffering  Man, — as  it  were,  a 
God  despised,  a  God  rejected,  a  God  crucified,  they  could 
not  endure.  So,  also,  the  Greeks,  who  sought  after  wis¬ 
dom,  would  have  received  a  Jupiter  or  a  Mercury,  a  God  of 
power  and  supremacy,  or  of  wisdom  and  beauty;  but  a 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh  of  “the  Nazarene,” — to  their 
minds  was  an  infinite  folly !  And  the  reason  of  this  is  to 
be  found  not  in  the  purity  and  elevation,  but  in  the  nar¬ 
rowness  and  selfishness,  of  their  views.  Their  idea  of 
of  infinite  greatness,  after  all,  turns  out  to  be  one  of  infinite 
littleness.  Their  minds  were  too  dark,  their  natures  too 
grovelling,  to  admit  the  true  conception  of  the  Divine  per¬ 
fection,  as  it  shines  in  the  face  of  Jesus.  “  He  was  in  the 
world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him,  and  the  world 
knew  him  not.”  But  to  pure  and  spiritual  minds,  how  clear, 
how  resplendent  the  manifestation  of  his  Divinity !  How 
inexpressibly  radiant  and  beautiful,  how  glorious  and  all¬ 
transforming  !  He  who  caused  the  light  to  shine  out  of 
darkness  hath  shined  into  the  hearts  of  such,  to  give  them 
the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face 
of  Jesus.  In  the  incarnation  and  earthly  life  of  Christ, 
God  condescended  to  unite  what  apostate  man  would  ever 
sever,  the  highest  Essence  with  the  lowliest  form,  the 
blessedness  and  glory  of  Heaven  with  the  degradation  and 
sorrow  of  earth.  He  has  bridged  the  gulf  which  separates 
the  finite  from  the  infinite,  the  sinful  from  the  sinless.  He 
has  married,  by  holy  and  indissoluble  ties,  the  immortal  and 


52 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


ever  blessed  Life,  “  the  Bridegroom”  of  Heaven,  to  the  mor¬ 
tal  and  suffering  Church  of  the  redeemed  on  earth.  For 
that  suffering  “  Son  of  Man,”  that  true  Brother  and  Re¬ 
deemer  of  the  race,  is  instinct  with  love  divine.  He  belongs 
to  the  infinite  and  the  eternal.  In  his  feeble  frame  shrines 
itself  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead.  From  every  chink 
and  fissure  of  the  temple,  trembling  and  falling  to  ruins  on 
Calvary,  streams  the  very  brightness  of  the  Father’s  glory. 
The  world,  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  saw  not  this,  do  not  see 
it  now.  But  all  regenerate  spirits  see  it,  and  rejoice  under 
its  influence.  “  We  beheld  his  glory.”  This,  then,  is  the 
true  and  last  Theophany ,  of  which  all  prior  manifestations 
or  outshinings  of  the  Godhead  were  but  the  hints  and  sym¬ 
bols — “the  Mystery  of  the  Father  of  Christ  and  of  God” — 
the  incarnation  of  that  divine  and  Everlasting  Life  and 
Love,  which  is  “  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and  forever,” 
which,  says  the  apostle,  “is  Christ  in  you  the  hope  of 
glory.”  Herein,  then,  is  fulfilled  that  wonderful  prayer  of 
Christ,  just  before  his  departure  to  the  invisible  world : 
“  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which 
shall  believe  in  me  through  their  word  ;  that  they  all  may 
be  one ;  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me  and  I  in  thee,  that  they 
may  also  be  one  in  us ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that 
thou  hast  sent  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me 
I  have  given  them ;  that  they  may  be  one  even  as  we  are 
one ;  I  in  them,  and  Thou  in  me ,  that  they  may  be  made 
perfect  in  one ,  and  that  the  world  may  know  that  thou  hast 
sent  me,  and  hast  loved  them,  as  thou  hast  loved  me.”* 


*  1  John,  xvii.  20,  23. 


CHAPTER  IY. 


Last  Hours  of  Christ  on  Earth.  Seizure  in  the  garden.  Citation  before  the  Sanhedrim. 
His  innocence  proved.  His  confession.  Charged  with  blasphemy.  Taken  before 
Pilate  and  Herod.  The  two  Malefactors.  Abandoned  to  the  multitude.  Crucified 
on  Calvary.  His  voluntary  death.  The  manifestation  of  his  Godhead  in  the  gloom 
and  agony.  Grandeur  of  the  mystery.  Prayer  to  Christ  crucified. 

We  approach  the  closing  scene  of  our  Saviour’s  life  on 
earth.  It  is  midnight.  The  shadows  of  Olivet  rest  upon 
the  green  inclosures  beneath,  in  one  of  which  Jesus  and 
his  wearied  disciples  have  spent  some  dreary  hours.  Noth¬ 
ing  breaks  the  silence,  save  the  occasional  cry  of  the 
watchman  from  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  or  the  howl  of  a 
solitary  dog  prowling  in  u  the  field  of  blood.”  The  agony 
and  prayer  of  Christ  have  given  place  to  serenity  and  sub¬ 
mission.  His  disciples  are  aroused  from  their  heavy  torpor, 
and  all  are  preparing  to  leave  the  garden.  Suddenly, 
torches  flash  amid  the  olive  trees,  and  the  place  is  filled 
with  armed  men.  Judas,  who  heads  them,  advances  to 
Jesus,  and  salutes  him  with  a  kiss,  the  sign  of  cowardly 
betrayal,  which  our  Saviour  rebukes  with  that  calm  dignity 
peculiar  to  himself.  At  first  the  soldiers  are  overawed,  as 
if  struck  by  a  sudden  panic.  Perhaps  they  knew  not  who 
it  was  they  had  come  to  seize,  or  were  so  moved  by  his 
majestic  bearing,  as,  for  the  moment,  to  lose  their  self-pos¬ 
session.  a  They  went  backward,”  says  the  Evangelist, 


5* 


54 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


“and  fell  to  the  ground.”  Reassured  by  Jesus  himself, 
who,  in  this  slight  incident,  manifests  his  infinite  superiority, 
they  take  possession  of  his  person.  Peter  had  drawn  a 
sword  to  defend  his  Master,  and  cut  off  the  ear  of  one  of 
the  party.  This  act  of  violence  is  gently  rebuked  by  Jesus, 
who  works  a  miracle  to  heal  the  wound,  thus  proving  that 
while  he  yielded  to  the  brute  force  of  his  enemies,  he  yet 
possessed  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 

He  was  first  led  to  the  house  of  Annas,  probably  an  ex- 
High-Priest,  and  then  to  that  of  Caiaphas,  son-in-law  to 
Annas,  and  High-Priest  for  the  time  being.  Here  the 
Sanhedrim  was  hastily  assembled  for  the  examination  of 
the  prisoner.  In  reply  to  the  question  of  the  High-Priest 
touching  his  doctrines,  Jesus  referred  to  his  public  career, 
and  the  open  manner  in  which  he  had  promulgated  his 
tenets.  Incensed  at  his  dignified  composure,  a  servant 
struck  him  on  the  mouth,  an  act  of  malignant  insult.  But 
he  bore-  it  with  the  same  divine  composure.  u  If  I  have 
spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil,  but  if  well,  why 
smitest  thou  me  ?”  So  far  from  conciliating  their  regard, 
this  was  the  signal  to  more  atrocious  acts  of  violence. 
The  members  of  the  Sanhedrim  appear  to  have  left  at  the 
time,  and  yielded  him  up  to  their  attendants.  He  was 
blindfolded,  buffeted,  and  spit  upon,  by  these  cowardly 
menials,  whose  minds,  like  those  of  their  masters,  were  too 
gross  to  perceive  the  dignity  of  the  adorable  sufferer.  Till 
morning  they  subjected  him  to  all  sorts  of  insults,  “  speak¬ 
ing  many  things  blasphemously  against  him.” 

When  the  day  dawned,  “  the  elders  of  the  people  and  the 


t 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


55 


chief  priests  and  the  scribes  came  together,  and  led  him 
into  their  council.”  All  possible  charges  were  brought 
against  him,  but  nothing  was  proved  by  the  false  and  con¬ 
tradictory  witnesses.  His  innocence  must  have  been 
obvious  to  all,  had  they  not  blinded  their  minds  and 
hardened  their  hearts  by  prejudice  and  passion.  Despair¬ 
ing  of  finding  anything  against  him  by  an  ordinary  pro¬ 
cess,  the  crafty  High-Priest  adjures  him,  in  the  name  of 
God,  to  tell  them  whether  he  is  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of 
the  Living  God.  He  distinctly  admits  the  claim,  and  inti¬ 
mates  that  notwithstanding  their  present  unbelief,  they 
would  yet  see  him  “  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  the  power 
of  God,”  a  claim  equal  to  that  of  Supreme  Divinity.  Then 
the  High-Priest  rends  his  clothes— -in  ordinary  circumstances, 
a  most  indecorous  act,  but  in  the  present,  an  intended  expres¬ 
sion  of  his  abhorrence  of  what  he  considers  blasphemy. 
Thereupon  his  condemnation  is  passed  by  the  whole  coun¬ 
cil,  who  had  already  resolved  upon  his  death. 

As  the  Jewish  Sanhedrim  had  not,  at  this  time,  the  power 
of  inflicting  death,  or,  for  sinister  motives,  desired  the  con¬ 
currence  of  the  civil  government,  they  immediately  con¬ 
veyed  Jesus  to  the  bar  of  the  Roman  governor.  Ascer¬ 
taining  that  he  belonged  to  Galilee,  Pilate,  to  relieve 
himself  of  further  responsibility,  sent  him  to  Herod  the 
Tetrarch,  who  happened  to  be  in  Jerusalem  at  this  time, 
doubtless  for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  the  Passover. 
Herod,  who  had  heard  much  of  the  miracles  of  Christ,  and 
desired  for  a  long  time  to  see  him,  was  gratified  with  this 
act  of  attention  on  the  part  of  Pilate.  They  had  been  at 


56 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


enmity  for  some  time,  and  this  circumstance,  it  appears, 
was  the  means  of  their  reconciliation.  To  the  numerous 
questions  of  Herod,  dictated,  no  doubt,  more  by  contemptu¬ 
ous  curiosity,  than  a  desire  to  know  the  truth,  or  to  do 
justice  in  the  case,  Jesus  “  answered  him  nothing.”  In¬ 
censed,  Herod  and  his  men  of  war  set  him  at  nought  and 
mocked  him,  arrayed  him  in  a  gorgeous  robe,  (in  token  of 
their  contempt,,)  and  sent  him  again  to  Pilate.  All  this, 
and  much  more  of  like  sort,  Jesus  bore  with  the  calm  dig¬ 
nity  and  meek  submission  of  a  superior  nature,  bent  on 
suffering  all  things  for  a  sublime  and  beneficent  end. 

It  would  seem  that  only  a  deputation  from  the  Jewish 
council  had  accompanied  Jesus  to  the  presence  of  Herod 
and  of  Pilate,  while  the  body  of  the  council  waited  in  sus¬ 
pense,  probably  in  one  of  the  great  rooms  of  the  temple, 
where  they  were  accustomed  to  hold  their  sessions.  It  was 
at  this  time  that  Judas,  stung  by  remorse  at  having  betrayed 
innocent  blood,  returned  to  the  council,  confessed  his  guilt, 
and  threw  the  money  which  they  had  paid  him,  at  their 
feet,  a  striking  testimony  to  the  divinity  of  our  Saviour’s 
mission.  Having  done  this,  Judas  went  and  “  hanged  him¬ 
self,”  and  “  falling  headlong,  all  his  bowels  gushed  out.” 
Peter,  under  the  pressure  of  severe  temptation,  had  denied 
his  Master,  but  catching  his  eye  of  purity  and  love,  he  in¬ 
stantly  felt  the  wrong,  and  went  out  and  wept  bitterly. 
Thus  by  remorse  and  penitence  on  the  part  of  those  two,  as 
well  as  by  constancy  and  love  on  the  part  of  others,  did  the 
immediate  disciples  of  our  Lord  confirm  his  claims  as  the 
true  Messiah,  the  Son  of  the  Living  God. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


57 


% 

So  also  did  Pilate,  in  his  office  of  magistrate.  Ascer¬ 
taining,  to  his  entire  satisfaction,  that  Jesus  had  no  trea¬ 
sonable  design  against  the  government,  and  that  the  aim  of 
his  mission  was  to  establish  the  truth,  and  found  among 
men  an  empire  of  righteousness  and  love,  he  positively  de¬ 
clared  to  the  Jews  that  “  he  found  no  fault  in  him.”  But 
this  selfish  and  mercenary  man  could  not  appreciate  the 
character  of  Christ,  and  probably  regarding  him  as  a  fanatic 
or  an  impostor,  he  yielded  at  last  to  the  importunities  and 
threats  of  his  enemies.  “  If  thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art 
not  Caesar’s  friend.”  Every  thing,  therefore,  must  be  sac¬ 
rificed  for  power  and  place.  Yet  was  he  distinctly  warned, 
and  that,  too,  by  his  own  wife,  who  seems  to  have  formed 
some  right  apprehensions  of  the  true  character  of  Christ, 
and  “  suffered  many  things”  respecting  him  “  in  a  dream.” 
But  the  tide  of  faction  pressed  around  him.  Hate,  bigotry, 
passion,  intense  and  overpowering,  rushed  like  a  flood, 
higher  and  higher,  wilder  and  wilder  ;  when,  yielding  to  its 
fury,  Pilate  washed  his  hands,  and  gave  orders  for  the 
crucifixion  of  Jesus.  It  cost  him  a  terrible  struggle.  To 
avoid  it,  he  was  willing  to  scourge  the  adorable  sufferer, 
hoping  thereby  to  excite  pity  in  the  bosoms  of  the  frantic 
mob.  But  they  cried  out  the  more,  Crucify  him !  crucify 
him !  He  proposed  to  substitute  Barabbas,  and  release 
Jesus  ;  but  no  !  Barabbas,  robber  and  murderer,  was  saved, 
and  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  the  friend  of  man,  must  die ! 

But  where  were  his  followers  at  this  time  ?  Where,  es¬ 
pecially,  was  that  portion  of  the  giddy  populace,  who  had 
strewn  palm  branches  in  his  way,  and  rent  the  air  with 


58 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


hosannas,  as  he  rode  in  triumph  into  the  capital  ?  Stunned 
or  frightened,  they  forsook  him  and  fled,  or,  it  may  be,  disap¬ 
pointed  in  their  hopes  of  a  conquering  Messiah,  actually 
joined  with  his  enemies  in  the  cry,  now  filling  the  air  with 
its  savage  yells,—  Crucify  him  !  crucify  him  ! 

Delivered  to  the  will  of  his  enemies,  rough  soldiers  are  at 
hand  to  seize  the  sufferer  and  conduct  him  to  crucifixion. 
But  before  proceeding  to  this,  they  subject  him  to  all  kinds 
of  mockery  and  insult.  Arraying  him  in  the  symbols  of 
mock  royalty,  they  bend  in  pretended  homage  before  him, 
strike  him  with  the  palms  of  their  hands,  spit  upon  him, 
and  then  stripping  off  his  magnificent  attire,  dress  him  in 
his  own  humble  garb,  and  lead  him  forth  to  execution. 
Worn  out  by  long  fasting,  and  the  insulting  cruelties  of  the 
soldiery,  Jesus  faints  under  the  burden  of  his  cross,  or  cross¬ 
beam,  which  malefactors  were  accustomed  to  bear  to  the 
place  of  crucifixion.  A  stranger  from  Cyrene,  and  it  may 
be  a  disciple  of  Christ,  entering  the  city,  is  seized  and  made 
to  bear  the  cross  after  him.  A  great  company  of  people, 
among  whom  are  many  females,  follow,  beating  their 
bosoms,  and  giving  utterance  to  their  astonishment  and 
grief,  in  loud  sobs  and  wailings.  Jesus  turns  round,  and 
with  a  look  of  pity,  says  to  them — “  weep  not  for  me,  but 
rather  weep  for  yourselves  and  your  children” — and  then 
predicts  the  fearful  doom  yet  to  come  upon  Jerusalem. 

The  mournful  procession  has  passed  the  city  walls,  and 
arrived  at  Calvary — not  precisely  a  hill,  as  we  are  accus¬ 
tomed  to  suppose,  but  a  gentle  elevation,  called  Golgotha, 
or  the  place  of  a  scull,  from  its  being  the  ordinary  scene  of 


life  of  christ. 


59 


executions,  a  dismal  place,  and,  in  the  estimation  of  the 
Jews,  accursed.  The  o garments  of  Jesus  are  stripped 
off  and  parted  among  the  soldiers.  Putting  his  lips  to  the 
potion  of  wine  and  myrrh,  usually  given  to  criminals  pre* 
vious  to  execution,  he  refuses  to  drink  of  it,  in  order  to  pre¬ 
serve  his  faculties  clear  and  self-possessed.  He  then  per¬ 
mits  himself  to  be  trailed  through  his  hands  a»4=£eet,  to  the 
rugged  wood,  which  is  elevated,  and  let  down  violently  into 
its  socket,  racking  every  joint  and  muscle  of  the  writhing 
frame. 

See,  then,  the  Son  of  God,  suspended  between  heaven 
and  earth,  in  company  with  two  malefactors,  one  on  this 
side,  and  another  on  that,  u  hanging,”  as  one  of  the  old 
divines  expresses  it,  upon  £t  four  dismal  wounds,”  and  bear* 
ing  upon  his  spirit  the  charge  of  a  world’s  redemption  !  A 
sight,  such  as  earth  saw  never — -a  wonder  to  men  and 
angels — a  mystery  which  God  only  can  solve ! 

Now  is  u  the  hour  and  the  power  of  darkness.”  His  ene* 
mies  cast  his  claims  in  his  teeth,  and  beseech  him  to  come 
down  from  the  cross.  Not  only  the  rude  populace,  but  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Sanhedrim,  the  chief-priests  and  rulers  of  the  peo¬ 
ple,  heap  insult  and  scorn  upon  the  dying  Saviour.  But  his 
only  reply  is,  “  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do  !”  One  of  the  malefactors  at  his  side  reviles 
him,  as  if  he  were  the  cause  of  his  calamities ;  the  other, 
who,  as  Saurin  remarks,  appears  for  the  time  to  be  the  only 
believer  in  the  world,  craves  his  help :  u  Lord,  remember  me 
when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom” — a  prayer  instantly 
answered  by  Jesus,  who,  forgetting  his  own  pangs,  the 


60 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


insults  of  the  rabble,  and  the  maledictions  of  the  other 
criminal,  replies,  with  the  mingled  majesty  and  mercy  of  a 
God,  “  V erily,  I  say  unto  thee,  this  day  shalt  thou  be  with 
me  in  Paradise.”  Beautiful  episode  in  the  fearful  drama  of 
agony  and  blood — as  instructive,  too,  as  it  is  beautiful. 
There  hangs  the  Son  of  God  in  his  “  passion” — the 
centre  of  hope  to  the  world.  On  one  side  is  the  perishing 
scorner, — type  of  all  who  reject  the  Saviour  and  perish  in 
their  sins  ;  on  the  other,  the  penitent, — symbol  of  all  who 
believe  in  Jesus,  and  rest  with  him  forever  in  the  Paradise 
of  God.  On  the  Cross,  our  Saviour  is  omnipotent  to  for¬ 
give.  Even  in  dying,  he  saves  from  death  !  When  poorest, 
he  bestows  the  greatest  wealth.  When  utterly  forsaken 
on  earth,  he  opens  heaven  to  the  dying  sinner ! 

From  the  same  spirit  of  kindness  he  provides  for  his 
mother,  standing  there,  in  anguish  unutterable,  under  the 
shadow  of  his  cross,  commending  her  to  the  care  of  “  the 
beloved  disciple” — one  of  the  most  touching  instances  at 
once  of  maternal  and  of  filial  affection. 

From  the  third  hour,  or  nine  o’clock  in  the  morning,  un¬ 
til  the  ninth  hour,  or  three  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  hangs 
our  Saviour,  in  mysterious  anguish,  upon  the  cross.  At 
noon  the  sun  hides  his  face.  From  that  time,  three  whole 
hours,  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of  an  eclipse,  or  in  that 
sullen  gloom  which  usually  precedes  an  earthquake,  breath¬ 
ing  heavily,  and  becoming  fainter  and  fainter,  he  suffers 
unutterable  pangs  ;  when,  finally,  his  earthly  nature  giving 
way,  he  cries  out  with  a  loud  voice :  u  Eloi ,  Eloi ,  lama , 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST, 


61 


sabacthani'l  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me  ?”  words  of  profound  anguish  and  ineffable  import, 
which  it  were  presumption  perhaps  to  interpret.*  One 
compassionate  hand  raises  a  sponge  of  vinegar,  or  weak 
wine,  to  cheer  the  pale  sufferer,  but  it  is  instantly  arrested 
by  the  bystanders,  who  willingly  misunderstanding  his 
words,  command  him  to  wait  and  see  whether  “that 
great  and  certain  sign  of  the  Messiah,  the  appearance  of 
Elijah,  would  now  take  place.” 

But  no!  he  is  manifestly  dying.  Yet  how  calm  and 
self-possessed !  While  the  human  nature  yields  to  the 
pressure  of  agony,  we  see  the  Divinity  which  that  nature 
enshrines,  assuming  the  mastery,  and  voluntarily  resigning 
all  of  perishable  in  his  mysterious  person  to  the  stroke  of 
death.  “  When  Jesus,  therefore,  had  received  the  vinegar, 
he  said,  It  is  finished  :  and  he  bowed  his  head,  and  gave  up 
the  ghost.”  Beholding  the  scene,  the  Roman  centurion, 
as  if  expressing  the  testimony  of  nature,  exclaimed  :  “  This 
was  a  righteous  man” — “this  was  the  Son  of  God!” 
Even  Rousseau,  uttering,  so  to  speak,  the  extorted  convic¬ 
tion  of  scepticism,  declares,  “  that  if  Socrates  died  like  a 
philosopher,  Jesus  died  like  a  God !”  while  the  greatest 

*  It  may  be  remarked  that  this  expression,  borrowed  from  the  twenty-second  Psalm, 
had  been  consecrated  for  ages,  as  the  utterance  of  deep  anguish.  It  ought  never  to  be 
regarded  as  a  dogmatic  formula,  having  all  the  precision  of  a  theological  proposition  ; 
and  cannot,  therefore,  with  any  sort  of  propriety,  be  cited  against  the  doctrine  of  our 
Saviour’s  Divinity.  It  is  the  spontaneous  language  of  a  heart  oppressed  with  grief 
and  despair.  Often,  however,  it  has  been  inadvertently  cited,  to  prove  the  departure  of 
the  Godhead  from  the  Manhood  of  Jesus,  in  the  hour  of  his  agony,  than  which  no  sup¬ 
position  can  be  more  unscriptural  or  absurd.  Christ  suffered  as  the  Son  of  God.  His 
whole  nature  was  engaged  in  the  closing  act  of  the  world’s  redemption. 

6 


62 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


genius  of  the  nineteenth  century  speaks  of  the  event  as  a 
mystery,  “  in  which  the  Divine  depth  of  sorrow  lies  hid.,,# 

But,  O !  what  a  descent  is  here.  The  Son  of  God  cru¬ 
cified  like  a  felon  !  The  Sovereign  of  the  Seraphim  expiring 
on  the  Cross  !  The  Messiah  dead  !  Is  he  not  Divine  ?  Is 
he  not  omnipotent  ?  W as  he  not  before  Abraham  ?  And 
is  he  not  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever  ?  Dead ! 
— how  is  that  ? — ■ why  is  that  ?  It  cannot  be — it  must  not 
be!  For  then  Life  itself  is  dead!  Yes, — and  that  is  the 
very  wonder  of  the  Cross — ‘the  very  mystery  of  redemption. 
“  For  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.”  “  One 
died  for  all,  for  that  all  were  dead.”  And  this  was  done, 
that  “  through  death  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the 
power  of  death,  and  deliver  them  who  through  fear  of 
death  were  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage.” 

But  in  all  this  shame,  agony  and  dissolution,  accounted 
for  when  we  look  at  the  incarnation,  and  consequent 
humanity  of  Christ,  do  you  not  see  tokens  the  most  striking, 
of  Supreme  power  and  changeless  Divinity?  Whence 


*  In  an  interesting  fragment  of  Goethe’s,  called  Wilhelm  Meister's  Wander jahre, 
the  various  religions  which  have  appeared  in  the  world  are  characterized  in  a  very 
striking  manner ;  the  Christian  Religion  being  regarded  as  the  last  and  most  perfect. 
Jesus  Christ  is  styled  “  the  Divine  Man  his  life  is  set  up  for  “  a  pattern  and  an  ex¬ 
ample,”  and  his  death  as  “  a  model  of  exalted  patience.”  The  Gospel  is  styled 
symbolically,  “  the  Sanctuary  of  Sorrow  the  sufferings  of  Christ  upon  the  Cross, 
which  seem  to  awe  the  poet’s  spirit,  are  denominated  “  mysterious  secrets,  in  which 
the  divine  depth  of  sorrow  lies  hid.”  Goethe’s  Wander jahre  was  published  in  his 
seventy-second  year,  when  his  mind,  having  passed  through  its  first  agitations  of  scepti¬ 
cism  and  sorrow,  had  settled  into  a  vague  but  calm  and  beautiful  faith  in  “the  good 
and  true.”  That  much  doubt,  and  many  errors  yet  remained,  is  quite  evident ;  but  he 
cherished  a  profound  reverence  for  “  the  Religion  of  Sorrow,”  as  he  loved  to  call  it, 
whose  “  divine  depth”  he  had  so  beautifully  characterized. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


63 


that  serenity,  and  even  joy,  in  the  holy  sufferer  ?*  Whence 
that  boundless  love — that  infinite  forgiveness  ?  Whence 
the  very  power  voluntarily  to  suffer  such  a  death  ?  Why 
did  nature  sympathize  in  his  agony,  as  if  it  were  instinct 
with  life,  and  felt  every  pang  which  pierced  his  heart  7 
Why  hid  the  sun  his  beams  ?  Why  trembled  the  earth  ? 
Why  rent  the  rocks  ?  Why  rose  the  dead  ?  Why  burst 
the  veil  of  the  temple  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  revealing 
the  sacred  mysteries,  and  proclaiming  the  close  of  Judaism  ? 
Ah,  were  it  possible  to  have  looked  into  heaven,  at  that 
august  moment,  we  should  have  seen  each  angel,  hanging 
over  his  harp  in  breathless  suspense,  and  the  infinite  God 
himself  absorbed  in  the  mighty  event.  It  was  the  heart  of 
the  Deity  which  uttered  itself  in  the  sigh  of  nature,  the 
gloom  of  the  heavens,  the  trembling  of  the  earth,  the  rend¬ 
ing  of  the  rocks.  For  nature 

“  Is  but  a  name  for  an  effect, 

Whose  cause  is  God.” 

This,  doubtless,  is  the  reason  why  the  Apostle  speaks  of 
redemption  as  the  “  mystery  of  the  Father  of  Christ  and  of 
God” — that  the  whole  Trinity,  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Ghost,  are  equally  revealed  in  it,  and  that  the  hymns  of  the 
glorified  rise  forever  to  “  God  and  the  Lamb.” 

“  Bound  every  heart !  and  every  bosom  burn  ! 

Oh,  what  a  scale  of  miracles  is  here  ! 

Its  lowest  round,  high  planted  in  the  skies  : 

Its  towering  summit,  lost  beyond  the  thought 
Of  man  or  angel !  Oh,  that  I  could  climb 


*  “  For  the  joy  set  before  him,  he  endured  the  cross.”  This,  of  course,  was  the  joy  of 
gratified  benevolence,  which  is  equally  delightful  in  its  anticipation  and  enjoyment. 


64 


MANIFESTATION  ^  F  GOD. 


The  wonderful  ascent  with  equal  praise  ! 

Praise  i  flow  forever,  (if  astonishment 

Will  give  thee  leave  ;)  my  praise  !  forever  flow  ; 

Praise,  ardent,  cordial,  constant ;  to  high  Heaven 
More  fragrant  than  Arabia  sacrificed, 

And  all  her  spicy  mountains  in  a  flame.” 

It  is  evening.  The  darkness  and  tumult  of  the  day 
have  subsided.  Nought  is  heard  but  the  hollow  murmur 
of  the  great  city.  The  red  rays  of  the  departing  sun  tinge 
the  hill-tops  around  Jerusalem,  and  linger,  in  mournful 
beauty,  upon  the  dome  of  the  temple  and  the  tower  of  An¬ 
tonia.  Three  crosses,  with  three  melancholy  burdens,  now 
still,  are  darkly  marked  against  the  sky,  and  cast  long 
shadows  upon  the  hill  of  Calvary.  As  it  is  the  preparation 
for  the  Passover — as,  moreover,  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  has 
excited  the  populace,  vast  crowds  are  clustered  here  and 
there  about  the  temple,  on  the  walls  of  the  city,  or  on  the 
neighboring  mountains.  Men  and  women  are  moving  to 
and  fro  beyond  the  city  walls,  some  with  downcast  or 
thoughtful  look,  others  with  flushed  and  angry  visage. 
Afar  off,  perhaps  on  the  brow  of  Olivet,  some  of  the  disci¬ 
ples  and  friends  of  Jesus,  and  all  the  women  that  followed 
him  from  Galilee,  among  whom  are  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
Mary  the  mother  of  James  the  less,  and  of  Joses,  and  Sa¬ 
lome,  the  mother  of  Zebedee’s  children,  and  many  other 
women,  stand  gazing,  with  fixed  and  mournful  look,  upon 
the  cross  of  Christ.  “  And  all  the  people  that  came  to¬ 
gether  to  that  sight,  beholding  the  things  which  were  dene, 
smote  their  breasts  and  returned.”  The  beloved  disciple, 
too,  is  there,  lingering  around  the  cross  of  his  Master ;  and 
he  informs  us,  that  when  the  soldiers  came  to  hasten  the 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


death  of  the  malefactors,  seeing  it  was  the  preparation  of 
the  Passover,  after  breaking  the  legs  of  the  two  thieves, 
approached  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  found  him  dead. 
Whereupon  one  of  the  soldiers,  permitted  by  God  to  commit 
the  rude  act,  as  if  to  certify  us  as  to  the  reality  of  his  death, 
11  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side/5  when  “  forthwith  came 
thereout  blood  and  water.55 

Here,  then,  let  us  draw  near,  and  look  upon  Him  whom 
we,  as  well  as  those  that  crucified  him,  have  pierced ;  and 
as  we  look,  let  us  offer  this  prayer  :* 

“  O,  dearest  Saviour,  I  adore  thy  mercies  and  thy  incom¬ 
parable  love,  expressed  in  thy  so  voluntary  susception  and 
affectionate  suffering  such  horrid  and  sad  tortures,  which 
cannot  be  remembered  without  a  sad  compassion ;  the 
waters  of  bitterness  entered  into  thy  soul,  and  the  storms  of 
death,  and  thy  Father’s  anger  broke  thee  all  in  pieces  : 
and  what  shall  I  do,  who  by  my  sins  have  so  tormented 
my  dearest  Lord  ?  What  contrition  can  be  great  enough, 
what  tears  sufficiently  expressive,  what  hatred  and  detesta¬ 
tion  of  my  crimes,  can  be  equal  and  commensurate  to  those 
sad  accidents  which  they  have  produced?  Pity  me,  O, 
Lord ;  pity  me,  dearest  God  ;  turn  thou  thy  merciful  eyes 
towards  me,  O,  most  merciful  Redeemer,  for  my  sins  are 
great,  like  unto  thy  passion  ;  full  of  sorrow  and  shame,  and 
a  burden  too  great  for  me  to  bear.  Lord,  who  hast  done  so 
much  for  me,  now  only  speak  the  word,  and  thy  servant 
shall  be  whole.  Let  thy  wounds  heal  me,  thy  virtues 


*  Written  by  Jeremy  Taylor. 
6* 


66 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


amend  me,  thy  death  quicken  me ;  that  I,  in  this  life,  suf¬ 
fering  the  cross  of  a  sad  and  solitary  repentance,  in  the 
union  and  merits  of  thy  cross  and  passion,  may  die  with 
thee,  and  rest  with  thee,  and  rise  again  with  thee,  and  live 
with  thee  forever,  in  the  possession  of  thy  glories,  O, 
dearest  Saviour  Jesus.  Amen.” 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  immediate  effect  of  Christ’s  death.  His  burial.  His  resurrection.  Appearance 
to  his  disciples.  Proofs  of  his  resurrection  satisfactory.  The  manner  of  his  resur¬ 
rection  like  that  of  his  birth — in  harmony  with  the  whole  of  his  life.  Reasons  of  his 
appearance  only  to  his  followers.  God’s  method  of  working. 

Christianity  was  centred  in  the  person  of  Jesus.  When 
he  therefore  was  crucified,  Christianity  appeared  to  be  ex¬ 
tinguished.  This  was  the  feeling  of  the  Jews,  particu¬ 
larly  of  the  Jewish  Sanhedrim.  This,  too,  was  the  feeling 
of  Christ’s  own  disciples.  With  one  or  two  exceptions, 
“  they  all  forsook  him  and  fled.”  Stunned  by  the  blow, 
they  seemed  to  forget  every  thing  he  had  said  respecting 
his  resurrection.  It  was  an  event  of  which  they  had  no 
expectation.  All  their  hopes  of  redemption  to  Israel  were 
buried  in  his  grave.  They  abandoned  themselves  to  de¬ 
spair.  Hence  it  is  perfectly  clear,  that  if  Jesus  had  not 
risen,  his  claims  would  have  been  forgotten  and  despised  by 
friends  and  foes.  His  disciples  were  men  of  humble  station 
and  narrow  views.  They  possessed  no  influence  in  the 
community,  no  confidence  even  in  themselves.  Christ  was 
their  only  hope.  Without  him  they  could  do  nothing. 
But  he  was  dead  and  buried — and  they  shrunk  away  from 
observation.  They  yielded  to  the  terrible  conviction  that 
their  faith  was  a  delusion,  their  hopes  a  dream. 

Joseph  of  Arimathea,  a  man  of  distinction  and  wealth, 


68 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


and  u  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly,  for  fear  of  the  Jews,” 
begged  his  body  from  the  Roman  procurator,  and  laid  it  in 
his  own  new  tomb,  cut  out  of  the  rock,  in  one  of  the  in¬ 
closures  not  far  from  the  place  of  the  crucifixion.  Actuated 
by  natural  reverence  and  affection,  but  with  no  definite  ex¬ 
pectation  of  any  thing  beyond,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  as¬ 
sisted  by  Nicodemus,  and  others  of  the  more  wealthy  but 
cautious  and  timid  disciples  of  Jesus,  performed  the  funeral 
rites  over  his  body,  wrapping  it  in  fine  linen,  and  anointing 
it  with  a  mixture  of  costly  spices  and  myrrh,  “  as  the  man¬ 
ner  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury” — and  then  reverently  closed 
the  tomb,  and  hurried  to  their  homes.  This  was  on  the 
evening  previous  to  the  Sabbath,  one  of  the  high  festival 
days  of  the  Jewish  Passover. 

On  the  succeeding  day,  recollecting  some  vague  rumors 
respecting  his  resurrection,  the  Jewish  Council,  afraid  that 
his  disciples  might  steal  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  pretend  that 
he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  engaged  Pilate  to  seal  the 
sepulchre,  and  set  over  it  a  guard  of  Roman  soldiers. 
None  of  his  own  disciples  appear  to  have  approached  the 
sepulchre  all  of  that  day.  They  would  be  restrained  from 
doing  so,  by  the  sanctity  of  the  occasion,  as  that  Sabbath 
was  observed  by  the  Jews  with  unusual  strictness.  Their 
fear  of  consequences,  however,  had  induced  the  Jewish 
Council  to  go  so  far  as  to  get  Pilate  to  break  the  Sabbath, 
by  the  sealing  of  the  sepulchre,  and  the  appointment  of  a 
watch,  but  this  was  a  matter  of  no  consequence  to  them, 
as  Pilate  and  his  soldiers  were  heathen,  and  would  not 
hesitate  to  violate  a  Jewish  institution ! 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


69 


Among  the  Hebrews,  the  rites  of  embalming  lasted  forty 
days.  Early  in  the  morning,  therefore,  upon  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  Mary  of  Magdala,  Mary  the  mother  of 
James  and  Salome,  with  Joanna  the  wife  of  Chuza,  Herod’s 
«  steward,  brought  sweet  spices  to  the  sepulchre,  that  they 
might  again  embalm  the  body  of  Jesus.  But  who  will 
remove  for  them  the  stone  at  the  entrance  of  the  sepulchre  ? 
This  difficulty,  however,  does  not  prevent  their  approach — 
when,  lo !  they  find  the  stone  already  removed,  and  the 
body  of  Jesus  gone  !  But  where  was  the  seal  affixed  by 
the  command  of  Pilate  ?  Where,  too,  the  guard  of  Roman 
soldiers,  whose  duty  it  was,  on  pain  of  death,  according  to 
the  Roman  law,  to  keep  their  post,  and  guard  the  sepul¬ 
chre  ?  They  had  fled ;  and  the  story  they  told  was  this, 
that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  came  by  night  and  stole  him 
away.”  Stole  him!  How  did  they  know  that?  Why 
did  they  not  prevent  it  ?  And  why,  moreover,  were  they 
not  punished  for  deserting  their  post  ?  The  story  is  incredi¬ 
ble  and  absurd,  and  the  only  reason  that  can  be  given  for 
it,  is  the  fact  stated  by  the  Evangelist,  that  they  were  hired 
by  the  Jewish  Council  to  tell  it,  and  screened  from  pun¬ 
ishment  by  the  intervention  of  the  Council.  But  how  pre¬ 
posterous  the  idea,  that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  stole  his  body, 
and  pretended  that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead !  It  im¬ 
plies  a  wonderful  change  in  their  feelings,  and  not  only  so, 
but  in  their  character.  For  those  timid  and  despairing  dis¬ 
ciples  suddenly  become  bold  and  resolute,  cunning  and 
wicked.  They  frighten,  by  their  very  presence,  a  whole 
cohort  of  Roman  soldiers,  abstract  the  dead  body  of 


70 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


Jesus — afterwards  pretend  that  it  was  alive,  and  under 
the  influence  of  this  conscious  lie ,  go  forth  to  proclaim 
“  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men,”  and  submit  to  every 
form  of  privation  and  suffering,  nay,  to  death  itself,  in  attes¬ 
tation  of  their  testimony ! 

But  why  dwell  upon  this  ?  No  sceptic,  even,  however 
purblind  in  other  respects,  can  swallow  such  an  absurdity. 
And  hence  we  recur  to  the  sacred  narrative,  so  calm  and 
honest,  so  simple  and  clear,  for  the  true  solution  of  the 
problem.  At  break  of  day,  being  the  third  from  the  time 
when  our  Saviour  was  buried,  according  to  the  Jewish 
mode  of  reckoning,  just  before  the  approach  of  the  females 
who  came  to  embalm  the  body,  u  there  was  a  great  earth¬ 
quake  :  for  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven, 
and  came  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door  and  sat 
upon  it.  And  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake  and 
became  as  dead  men.”  Jesus  had  burst  the  barriers  of  the 
tomb.  As  he  had  yielded  voluntarily  to  death,  and  in  yield¬ 
ing  to  it,  had  actually  conquered  death,  so  he  rose  from  the 
grave,  by  the  might  of  his  indwelling  and  immutable  Spirit. 
It  was  impossible  he  should  be  holden  of  death,  for  he  had 
entered  its  dark  domain  only  to  illumine  it,  and  thence  bring 
with  him  all  his  ransomed  ones.  Thus  while  the  women 
were  much  perplexed  by  the  manifest  absence  of  his  body 
from  the  open  tomb,  into  whose  dim  chamber  the  light  of 
a  new-born  day  began  to  pour  its  beams,  an  angel,  or  angels, 
in  shining  garments,  appeared  to  them,  and  said — the 
women  meanwhile  bowing  themselves  in  fear  and  rever¬ 
ence,  to  the  ground — “  Why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


71 


dead  1  He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen  ;  remember  how  he  spake 
unto  you  when  he  was  yet  in  Galilee,  saying,  The  Son 
of  man  must  be  delivered  unto  the  hands  of  sinful  men, 
and  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day  rise  again.  He  is  not 
here,  he  has  risen,  as  he  said  ;  come  see  the  place  where  the 
Lord  lay.”  Returning  from  the  sepulchre,  such  of  the  dis¬ 
ciples  as  were  within  reach  were  informed  of  the  resurrec¬ 
tion,  and  they  came  to  the  sepulchre,  and  satisfied  them¬ 
selves  of  its  reality.  No  marks  of  violence  were  seen  in  and 
about  the  sepulchre.  The  grave  clothes  were  laid  care¬ 
fully  aside,  and  it  was  clear  that  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
had  occurred,  like  his  birth,  without  noise  and  tumult.  The  > 
earth,  indeed,  trembled,  but  it  was  a  trembling  of  joy,  as  if 
in  sympathy  with  the  gladness  and  triumph  of  the  occa¬ 
sion.  The  keepers  became  pale  with  affright,  and  slunk 
away  to  their  homes.  But  in  and  about  the  sepulchre  itself, 
all  was  serene  and  beautiful,  like  the  opening  day,  begin¬ 
ning  to  blush  from  the  portals  of  the  East.  Jesus,  radian* 
with  glory,  rose  from  the  tomb,  silent  and  majestic,  just  in 
the  manner  that  we  should  imagine  the  Sun  of  Righteous¬ 
ness  would  ascend  from  the  darkness  of  that  dismal  night 
into  which  he  had  voluntarily  gone  down.* 

During  forty  days  subsequent  to  the  resurrection,  Jesus 
appeared  to  his  disciples,  at  first  incredulous  of  his  resur¬ 
rection,  and  only  to  be  assured  of  the  fact  by  the  most 


*  Aurora  lucis  rutilit 
Coelum  laudibus  intonat, 

Mundus  exultans  jubilat 

Gemens  infernus  ululat. — Hymn — Paschal. 


72 


manifestation  of  god. 


clear  and  decisive  proofs,  bestowing  upon  them  his  bless¬ 
ings,  conversing  with  them  respecting  the  things  of  his 
kingdom,  and  giving  directions  as  to  their  future  conduct 
and  destiny.  What  was  the  nature  of  our  Saviour’s  body 
now,  it  is  not  for  us  to  say,  and  is  perhaps  a  subject  of 
useless  speculation.  That  it  was  a  spiritual  body,  to  some 
extent — a  body  controlled  entirely  by  the  higher  nature 
within, — a  body  pure  and  perfect,  vigorous  and  immortal — 
a  body  akin  to  that  of  glorified  spirits,  and  moreover  to  be 
rendered  still  more  radiant  and  glorious,  cannot  be  doubted. 
Y et  it  was,  in  some  sense,  the  body  that  was  buried,  and 
which  retained  to  it  some  striking  resemblance,  for  there 

i 

were  the  marks  of  the  nails,  and  of  the  spear,  as  if  left  on 
purpose  to  satisfy  the  sceptical,  who,  like  Thomas,  would 
not  be  convinced  without  such  ocular  and  special  demon¬ 
stration. 

Such  were  the  mode  and  frequency  of  our  Saviour’s  com¬ 
munications  with  his  disciples,  as  to  leave  them  without 
doubt  as  to  the  reality  of  his  resurrection.  It  was  not  in 
visions  they  saw  him.  Not  in  the  dim  twilight,  or  the 
shadowy  night — not  in  the  solemn  forest,  or  the  leafy 
grove — not  in  haunted  ruins,  or  whispering  aisles,  but  in 
the  broad  light  of  day,  in  the  presence  of  each  other,  in  the 
house  and  by  the  way,  in  the  place  of  prayer,  and  on  the 
mountain  top — not  for  a  few  moments,  but  for  hours — not 
in  seasons  of  secret  devotion  or  of  religious  ecstacy,  but  in 
such  scenes  and  circumstances  as  could  not  admit  of  de¬ 
ception  or  illusion.  Neither  was  he  seen  by  a  few  individ¬ 
uals  only,  but  by  the  whole  body  of  the  disciples  ;  first  by 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


73 


Mary  Magdalene,  then  by  the  assembled  eleven,  then  by 
the  two  disciples  on  their  journey  to  Emmaus,  then  again 
by  the  eleven  and  Thomas ;  after  that  at  the  sea  of  Tibe¬ 
rias,  by  Simon  Peter,  Thomas  called  Didymus,  Nathanael 
of  Cana  in  Galilee,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  other 
disciples :  subsequently,  by  “  all  the  brethren  gathered 
together  by  his  own  appointment  at  a  mountain  in  Gali¬ 
lee,”  by  11  five  hundred  brethren  at  once at  another  time 
by  James;  at  another,  when  the  apostles  were  at  dinner, 
“  upbraiding  them  with  their  unbelief and  finally,  at  the 
end  of  forty  days,  when  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  Bethany, 
and  ascended  in  their  presence  to  Heaven. 

The  manner  of  our  Saviour’s  resurrection  was,  in  all 
probability,  essentially  different  from  that  which  existed 
in  the  preconceptions  of  his  own  disciples,  if,  indeed,  they 
had  any  definite  ideas  on  the  subject.  The  Jews,  as  a 
people,  expected  a  resurrection  in  connection  with  the  Mes¬ 
siah’s  advent.  He  was  to  raise  all  the  dead  of  Israel,  and 
reign  with  them  on  earth — exalting  both  the  living  and  the 
dead  to  the  highest  seats  of  power  and  splendor.  But  our 
Saviour  ascended  from  the  tomb  without  any  visible  dis¬ 
play,  in  the  hush  of  the  morning,  with  none  but  angels  to 
witness  the  event,  and  without  the  resurrection  of  a  single 
individual  of  the  myriads  of  the  departed.  The  course  of 
nature  moved  on  as  usual.  A  few  humble  souls  only  were 
made  acquainted  with  the  fact,  and  the  whole  world  besides 
left  in  profound  ignorance  of  its  occurrence.  He  made  his 
appearance  not  in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  not  in  the  syna¬ 
gogue  of  the  Jews,  not  in  the  streets  of  the  city,  amid  the 

7 


74 


manifestation  of  god. 


assembled  multitudes,  who  kept  holy-day  during  the  Pass- 
over  ;  but  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  in  a  remote  upper  room, 
by  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  and  on  a  lone  mountain  of  Galilee. 
Why  was  this  ?  Why  did  he  not  proclaim  his  resurrection 
to  the  world?  Why  did  he  not  convince  the  Sanhedrim  and 
the  people  of  the  Jews,  by  appearing  to  them  in  his  majesty, 
and  flashing  the  light  of  Heaven  in  their  eyes  ?  If  he  had 
done  so,  it  would  have  been  inconsistent  with  his  whole 
procedure,  from  his  cradle  to  his  grave.  For  he  came 
“  without  observation,”  veiling  his  Godhead  in  forms  of 
humility  and  suffering,  attracting  rather  than  forcing  men 
to  himself,  gradually  enlightening  and  transforming  their 
minds,  not  overwhelming  them  with  manifestations  of  om¬ 
nipotence.  Suppose  he  had  appeared  to  the  Jews  after  his 
resurrection,  would  they  have  believed  him  then  ?  W ould 
they  have  followed  him  to  lowliness,  to  poverty  and  death  ? 
Would  they  have  become  his  true  disciples,  taken  up  their 
cross,  and  borne  it  after  him  in  humility  and  love  ?  In 
a  word,  would  they  have  been  converted  by  such  a  mani¬ 
festation  of  his  glory  ?  We  have  no  reason  to  believe  they 
would.  Our  Saviour  knew  better  what  was  in  man. 
Therefore  did  he  appear  to  his  own  humble  followers, 
and  instructing  them  what  to  do,  shed  upon  them  and 
upon  others  his  blessed  and  life-giving  spirit,  and  thou¬ 
sands,  even  of  his  enemies,  were  born  into  his  kingdom. 
God’s  method  of  working  is  ever  silently,  slowly,  and  unos¬ 
tentatiously.  A  handful  of  corn  is  sown  upon  the  tops  of  the 
mountains,  and  by  and  by  it  shakes  like  Lebanon.  Misty 
vapor  is  drawn  from  the  bosom  of  the  earth,  suspended  in 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


75 


fleecy  clouds  above  us,  let  down  again  in  showers  upon  the 
ground ;  the  streams  run  among  the  hills,  gather  them¬ 
selves  into  rivers,  and  roll  in  majesty  to  the  sea,  where  all 
are  mingled  in  the  mighty  tides  which  encircle  the  globe. 
So  here,  Jesus  appears  to  a  few  of  his  disciples,  instructs 
and  prepares  them  by  a  gentle  but  irresistible  process  for 
their  work,  sends  them  forth  into  the  world,  and  the  world 
hears  that  by  his  death  and  resurrection  he  has  brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light.  Hundreds,  nay,  thousands, 
everywhere,  believe,  repent,  obey.  Not  by  observation,  not 
by  pomp  and  display,  above  all,  not  by  physical  power  or 
mechanical  demonstrations  of  any  kind,  “  but  by  my  Spirit, 
saith  the  Lord.”  The  kingdom  comes — comes  not  as  the 
kingdoms  of  earth,  for  it  is  invisible  and  divine.  Nor  does 
it  ever  pass  away.  While  all  earthly  rule  expires,  and 
the  very  stars  grow  dim,  the  kingdom  of  Christ  endureth 
forever. 


CHAPTER  YI. 


Christ’s  last  interview  with  his  Disciples.  His  Ascension.  The  completion  of  his 
mission.  The  relation  of  his  life  on  earth,  to  his  higher  and  more  enduring  life  in 
Heaven.  Jesus  Christ,  the  true  God  and  eternal  Life.  Prayer  to  Christ 
triumphant. 

Forty  days  from  his  resurrection,  Jesus  had  assembled 
with  his  disciples  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  probably  in  that 
quiet  upper  room,  in  a  remote  and  unfrequented  part  of  the 
city,  where  they  were  accustomed  to  perform  their  devo¬ 
tions.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  he  commanded  them 
not  to  depart  from  Jerusalem,  but  to  wait  there  for  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  should  endow  them  with 
supernatural  power  for  the  discharge  of  their  high  functions 
as  the  first  promulgators  of  Christianity.  He  showed 
them,  moreover,  how  all  things,  which  were  written  concern¬ 
ing  him,  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  had  been  ful¬ 
filled,  and  what  relation  his  death  and  resurrection  bore  to 
the  redemption  of  the  world.  “  Then  opened  he  their  under¬ 
standing  to  understand  the  Scriptures,  and  said  unto  them, 
Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer, 
and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day,  and  that  repent¬ 
ance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name 
among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.  And  ye  are 
witnesses  of  these  things.  And  behold,  I  send  the  promise 
of  my  Father  upon  you,  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem  until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high.” 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


77 


How  long  these  conversations  lasted,  we  are  not  in¬ 
formed,  but  that  they  produced  a  deep  impression  on  the 
minds  of  the  Apostles,  cannot  be  doubted. 

Early  in  the  morning,  even  before  the  break  of  day,  he 
set  out  with  them  through  the  yet  silent  streets  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  into  the  neighboring  country.  He  took  the  road  to 
Bethany  and  the  Mount  of’  Olives,  which  he  had  so  fre¬ 
quently  travelled  before,  conversing,  meanwhile,  upon  the 
things  of  his  kingdom,  and  preparing  their  minds  for  his 
departure  to  Heaven.  Bethany  lay  on  the  east  side  of  the 
city,  and  just  on  the  further  ascent  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  Here  our  Saviour  had  often  lingered,  in  medita¬ 
tive  mood,  or  in  solemn  communion  with  Heaven.  Here, 
a  few  days  before,  he  had  gazed  upon  the  devoted  city, 
and  wept  over  its  melancholy  doom.  Not  far  from  this, 
also,  he  had  suffered  his  mysterious  agony  in  the  garden. 
And  O  !  who  can  tell  what  were  his  emotions  when  he 
approached  it,  and  from  the  brow  of  Olivet  again  looked 
back  upon  the  scene  of  his  crucifixion !  It  was  during 
this  walk  from  the  city,  and,  in  all  probability,  while  he  was 
slowly  ascending  the  hill,  and  it  may  be,  lingering  to  gaze 
upon  Jerusalem,  beginning  to  gleam  faintly  under  the  first 
rays  of  the  morning,  that  he  replied  to  that  question  of  his 
Apostles,  indicating  so  strikingly  their  yet  imperfect  views 
of  his  character  and  mission  :  “  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time 
restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ?  And  he  said  unto  them, 
It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  and  the  seasons  which 
the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power.  But  ye  shall 
receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you  : 

7* 


78 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me,  both  in  Jerusalem  and 
in  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth.”  A  few  moments  after,  he  added,  “  All  power  is 
given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye,  therefore, 
and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And,  lo !  I 
am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.”  At 
this  point,  we  may  imagine  that  they  had  gained  the  sum¬ 
mit  of  the  mountain,  and  while  the  soft  light  of  the  morn¬ 
ing  was  reflected  from  his  serene  countenance,  upturned,  as 
we  may  naturally  suppose,  towards  Heaven,  in  expecta¬ 
tion  of  his  ascension,  “  even  while  he  was  yet  speaking, 
he  was  taken  up,  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their 
sight.”  This  was  done  so  suddenly,  and  yet  so  naturally 
and  gently,  that  the  disciples  were  by  no  means  startled, 
but  kept  gazing  upon  his  changing  and  ascending  form, 
glorified,  in  all  probability,  as  it  was  on  the  Mount  of  Trans¬ 
figuration,  “  when  his  countenance  did  shine  like  the  sun, 
and  his  raiment  was  white  and  glistering.”  He  had 
ceased  speaking  while  he  ascended,  and  stretching  forth 
his  arms,  he  blessed  them  in  parting.  This  was  his  atti¬ 
tude  and  manner  of  leaving  the  world.  This  was  his  last 
earthly  look  and  aspect  towards  his  disciples.  “  And  he  led 
them  out,”  says  Luke,  “as  far  as  Bethany ;  and  he  lifted 
up  his  hands  and  blessed  them.  And  it  came  to  pass 
while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted  from  them,  and  car¬ 
ried  up  into  Heaven.”  “A  cloud,”  doubtless  a  radiant 
cloud,  “  received  him  out  of  their  sight.”  They  were  trans¬ 
fixed  with  astonishment  and  delight.  For  their  eyes  were 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


79 


opened  to  behold  his  glory.  They  understood  the  purport 
of  his  words,  the  design  of  his  ascension.  His  spirit  drop¬ 
ped  upon  them  with  his  parting  blessing.  Hence,  it  is  said, 
“  they  worshipped  him,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem  with 
great  joy.”  How  evident  from  all  this  that  our  Saviour 
ascended  slowly,  through  the  still  air,  and  that  his  disci¬ 
ples  had  a  clear,  unobstructed  vision  of  his  glory.  As  he 
parted  from  them,  with  his  hands  outstretched  to  bless 
them,  they  fell  prostrate  on  the  ground,  in  adoring  wonder, 
and  gazed  upon  his  ascending  form  till  it  was  received  by 
a  luminous  cloud.  Nay,  sometime  after  the  blessed  vision 
was  gone,  they  continued  to  gaze  in  the  direction  which  it 
had  taken,  entranced  with  delight  and  awe,  and,  as  it  were, 
riveted  to  the  spot. 

“  And  while  they  looked  steadfastly  toward  Heaven,  as 
he  went  up,  behold  two  men  (angels  in  the  form  of  men,) 
stood  by  them,  in  white  apparel,  which  also  said,  Ye 
men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  Heaven? 
This  same  Jesus  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  Heaven, 
shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into 
Heaven.” 

Such  were  the  circumstances  attending  Christ’s  ascent 
to  glory.  Such  the  manner  in  which  he  left  his  disciples 
on  Olivet.  How  touching  and  beautiful !  How  much  in 
harmony  with  the  genius  of  the  Gospel,  and  with  the  whole 
course  of  our  Saviour’s  life  on  earth  ! 

A.nd  when  thou  didst  depart,  no  car  of  flame, 

To  bear  thee  hence  in  lambent  radiance  came, 


»-» 


80 


MANIFEST ATI  ON  OF  GOD. 


No  visible  angels  mourned  with  drooping  plumes  ; 

Nor  dids’t  thou  mount  on  high 
From  fatal  Calvary, 

With  all  thine  own  redeemed  outbursting  from  the  tombs  ; 

But  thou  dids’t  haste  to  meet 
Thy  mother’s  coming  feet, 

And  bear  the  w’ords  of  peace  unto  the  faithful  few  : 

Then  calmly,  slowdy  didst  thou  rise 
Into  thy  native  skies, 

Thy  human  form  dissolved  on  high, 

In  its  own  radiancy. 

“  Y ou  all  know,”  says  Tholuck,  catching  the  spirit  of 
this  occasion,  “of  what  inconceivable  worth  is  the  last  look 
of  a  friend.  As  his  countenance  then  appeared,  that  is  the 
image  which  imprints  itself  most  deeply  on  the  soul.  How 
delightful  now  it  is  to  see  the  manner  in  which  the  last 
glance  of  Jesus  fell  upon  his  chosen.  The  earliest  rays  of 
the  opening  day  shone  through  the  clouds,  and  then,  says 
the  history,  he  lifted  up  his  hands  and  blessed  them,  and  a 
cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight.  Amid  the  shades  of 
night  he  came,  in  the  redness  of  the  morning  dawn  he 
went  away ;  ever,  ever  shalt  thou  stand  before  our  souls, 
thou  glorified  Saviour,  in  the  same  attitude  in  which  thou 
didst  leave  the  world,  with  thy  hands  extended  over  thy 
chosen  to  bless  them.” 

It  is  on  this  account,  as  well  as  on  others  of  a  still  more 
impressive  kind,  that  the  disciples  returned  to  Jerusalem 
with  great  joy,  and  were  continually  in  the  temple  blessing 
and  praising  God.  “  Wherever  they  stood,  and  wherever 
they  went,  those  blessing  hands  were  before  their  eyes. 
And  do  not  we,  beloved  brethren,  exclaim  :  O,  that  we  had 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


81 


oeen  there !  O,  that  we  had  been  there,  to  see  those  blessing 

* 

.  hands  !” 

Thus  was  our  Saviour’s  mission  on  earth  completed.  It 
was  meet,  therefore,  that  he  should  ascend  to  heaven, 
where  he  was  before  ;  in  other  words,  that  he  should  pass 
from  the  outward  and  perishable,  to  the  inward  and  immor¬ 
tal,  and  carry  on,  by  higher  and  more  spiritual  means,  the 
great  work  which  he  had  only  commenced.  This  was  his 
coronation  as  King  in  Zion.  Now  he  was  invested  with 
the  dominion  of  the  church.  And  now  began  that  peace¬ 
ful  and  triumphant  reign  which  is  yet  to  fill  the  whole 
earth  with  its  glory.  This  was  fully  understood  by  his  dis¬ 
ciples,  who  were  inspired  with  a  new  life.  A  few  days  after, 
the  Spirit  descended  upon  them,  and  endued  them  with 
divine  power,  so  that  they  went  forth,  testifying  every 
where,  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
Bold,  resolute,  commanding,  they  proclaimed,  even  in  the 
scene  of  his  crucifixion  and  shame,  the  thrilling  fact  of  his 
glorification  at  the  right-hand  of  the  Father.  Nay,  more, 
they  charged  the  guilt  of  his  execution  on  the  Council 
and  people  of  the  Jews,  and  affirmed,  in  the  very  halls 
of  Justice,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  exalted  a  prince 
and  a  Saviour,  to  give  redemption  unto  Israel,  and  the  re¬ 
mission  of  sins.  “  These  submissive,  timid,  and  scattered 
followers  of  Jesus,”  says  Milman,  “  thus  burst  upon  the 
public  attention,  suddenly  invested  with  courage,  endowed 
with  commanding  eloquence,  in  the  very  scene  of  their 
Master’s  cruel  apprehension  and  execution,  asserting  his 
Messiahship  in  a  form  as  irreconcilable  with  their  own  pre- 


82 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


conceived  notions  as  with  those  of  the  rest  of  the  people ; 
arraigning  the  rulers,  and  by  implication,  if  not  as  yet  in 
distinct  words,  the  whole  nation,  of  the  most  heinous  act 
of  impiety  as  well  as  barbarity,  the  rejection  of  the  Mes¬ 
siah;  proclaiming  the  resurrection,  and  defyinginvestigation. 
The  whole  speech  of  Peter  clashed  with  the  strongest  pre¬ 
judices  of  those  who  had  so  short  a  time  before  given  such 
fearful  evidence  of  their  animosity  and  remorselessness.  It 
proclaimed  that  “  the  last  days,”  the  days  of  the  Messiah, 
the  days  of  prophecy  and  wonder,  had  already  begun.  It 
placed  the  Being  whom  but  forty  days  before  they  had  seen 
helplessly  expiring  upon  the  cross,  far  above  the  pride, 
almost  the  idol  of  the  nation,  King  David.  The  ashes  of 
the  king  had  long  reposed  in  the  tomb  which  was  before 
their  eyes ;  but  the  tomb  could  not  confine  Jesus ;  death  had 
no  power  over  his  remains.  Nor  was  his  resurrection  all : 
the  crucified  Jesus  was  now  c  on  the  right-hand  of  God 
he  had  assumed  that  last,  that  highest  distinction  of  the 
Messiah — the  superhuman  majesty ;  that  intimate  relation 
with  the  Deity,  which,  however  vaguely  and  indistinctly 
shadowed  out  in  the  Jewish  notion  of  the  Messiah,  was, 
as  it  were,  the  crowning  glory,  the  ultimate  height  to  which 
the  devout  hopes  of  the  most  strongly  excited  of  the  Jews 
followed  up  the  promised  Redeemer :  c  Therefore  let  all 
the  house  of  Israel  know  assuredly  that  God  hath  made  that 
same  Jesus,  whom  ye  have  crucified,  both  Lord  and 
Christ!”’* 


*  History  of  Christianity,  p.  150. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


83 


At  this  point  we  discover  the  relation  of  our  Saviour’s 
life  on  earth,  to  his  higher  and  more  enduring  life  in 
heaven.  His  descent  to  the  world,  and  his  life  of  sorrow 
here,  was  but  an  episode  in  his  existence,  which  is  com¬ 
mensurate  with  eternity.  Before  Abraham,  nay,  more, 
before  all  time,  he  existed  as  “  The  W ord  of  God,”  who 
was  “  in  the  beginning  with  God.”  He  is  u  before  all 
things,  and  by  him  all  things  consist,”  the  Alpha  and  the 
Omega,  the  first  and  the  last,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day, 
and  forever.  Hence,  when  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  as¬ 
cended  u  where  he  was  before.”  He  took  possession  of 
“  the  glory  which  he  had  before  the  world  was.”  And  so 
he  lives  for  evermore.  u  His  dominion  is  an  everlasting  do¬ 
minion,  and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end.”  His 
life,  then,  is  that  of  God — a  life  original,  uncreated,  inde¬ 
structible  and  eternal.  In  a  word,  he  is  Life  itself,  and  his 
human  form  but  a  means  of  manifesting,  to  our  imperfect 
conceptions,  his  indwelling  and  everlasting  Godhead. 
u  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  whose  son .  is  He  ?  They 
say  unto  him,  the  Son  of  David.  Why,  then,  doth  David 
in  spirit  call  him  Lord,  saying,  The  Lord  said  unto 
my  Lord,  sit  thou  on  my  right-hand  until  I  make  thine 
enemies  thy  footstool.”  “  And  thou,  Lord,  in  the  begin¬ 
ning  has  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth,  and  the  heav¬ 
ens  are  the  work  of  thy  hands.  They  shall  perish,  but 
thou  endurest.  Y ea,  ail  of  them  shall  wax  old  as  doth 
a  garment.  But  thou  art  the  same,  and  thy  years  shall 
not  fail.”  “  Unto  Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from 
our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and 


84 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


priests  unto  God  and  his  Father  ;  to  Him  be  glory  and  do¬ 
minion  forever  and  ever  !  Amen.  Behold !  He  cometh  with 
clouds ;  and  every  eye  shall  see  Him,  and  they  also 
which  pierced  Him.  Even  so,  Amen !  I  am  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  ending,  saith  the  Lord, 
which  is,  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to  come,  the  Al¬ 
mighty.” 

Adorable  and  ever  blessed  Saviour !  Lamb  of  God  that 
takest  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  have  mercy  upon 
us !  By  thine  agony  and  death,  by  thy  resurrection  and 
ascension  to  the  right-hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high  ;  by 
thine  infinite  love  and  pity,  by  thine  eternal  majesty  and 
perfection,  have  mercy  upon  us !  Reveal  to  us  thy  glory, 
and  make  us  partakers  of  thy  fullness.  Shine,  thou  Sun  of 
Righteousness  into  the  darkness  of  our  souls,  and  trans¬ 
form  us  into  thine  image.  Thou  art  the  Light  and  Life 
of  the  world  !  Thou  art  love  eternal !  All  angels  adore 
thee !  The  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  praise  thee  ! 
All  saints  bless  thee !  Heaven  and  earth  are  full  of  thy 
glory.  Thou  art  all  our  salvation  and  all  our  desire ! 
Whom  have  we  in  heaven  but  thee,  and  there  is  none  on 
earth  we  desire  beside  thee  !  Our  heart  and  our  flesh  faint- 
eth  and  faileth  ;  but  thou  art  the  strength  of  our  heart  and 
our  portion  forever,  Amen  ! 

“  O,  thou  who  art  our  life, 

Be  with  us  through  the  strife, 

Thy  own  meek  head  with  rudest  storms  was  bowed ; 

Raise  thou  our  eyes  above, 

To  see  a  Father’s  love, 

Beam  like  a  bow  of  promise  through  the  cloud. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


85 


Even  through  the  awful  gloom, 

Which  hovers  o’er  the  tomb, 

That  light  of  love  our  guiding  star  shall  be 
Our  spirits  shall  not  dread 
The  shadowy  way  to  tread, 

Friend,  guardian,  Saviour,  which  doth  lead  to  thee.” 


8 


THE  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD  IN  CHRIST. 


PART  SECOND. 

THE  CHARACTER  AND  MISSION  OF  CHRIST. 

CHAPTER  I. 


SINLESSNESS  OR  MORAL  PERFECTION  OF  CHRIST. 

We  have  briefly  glanced  at  the  salient  points  in  our 
Saviour’s  Life,  considering  it  chiefly  in  its  historical  connec¬ 
tion.  A  full  and  accurate  portrait  we  could  not  draw. 
Indeed,  such  a  thing  were  impossible.  One  might  as  well 
attempt,  as  a  thoughtful  German  suggests,  to  paint  the 
sun  with  charcoal !  All  that  we  intended  was  a  brief  out¬ 
line,  which  might  furnish  a  basis  for  a  fuller  and  more  pre¬ 
cise  discussion  of  those  great  doctrines  touching  the  Char¬ 
acter  and  Work  of  Christ,  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
the  Christian  system,  and  constitute  the  life  of  every  believ¬ 
ing  soul. 

In  the  first  place,  we  propose  to  inquire  whether,  even  as 
a  man,  Jesus  Christ  was  not  absolutely  sinless,  or  perfect, 
using  the  term  in  its  widest  signification  ;  and  whether  his 
character,  in  this  respect,  was  not  entirely  diverse  from  any 
that  ever  existed  among  men.  The  character  of  Christ, 
indeed,  is  eminently  natural ;  that  is,  it  is  simple,  spontane¬ 
ous  and  consistent,  such  as  becomes  a  true  and  perfect  man. 
Yet  it  is  wholly  supernatural,  on  account  of  its  entire  free- 


88 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


dom  from  sin,  from  positive  transgression,  imperfection  and 
inadequacy  of  every  sort,  and  in  being  ennobled  and  beau¬ 
tified  by  the  loftiest  virtues. 

Sin,  in  its  essential  character,  to  use  the  definition  of 
Gregory  of  Nyssa,  the  best  we  have  seen,  is  “  estrangement 
from  God,  who  is  the  true  and  only  Life,” — a  definition 
well  agreeing  with  the  striking  words  of  Chrysostom,  who 
says,  u  He  that  sins  is  far  from  God,  not  in  place,  but  in 
disposition.”*  It  throws  little  light  upon  the  absolute  na¬ 
ture  of  sin  to  say,  that  it  is  “  a  transgression  of  the  law,” 
“  a  violation  of  the  principles  of  our  moral  being,”  or  that 
it  is  “  inadequacy,  perversion  or  disorder  of  the  soul,  in  re¬ 
lation  to  the  great  standard  of  righteousness.”  For  these 
definitions,  or  rather  descriptions,  good  enough  so  far  as 
they  go,  are  not  intended  to  exhaust  the  subject,  and  have 
reference  only  to  the  results  of  sin,  which  is  a  cause,  as 
well  as  an  effect,  a  state  as  well  as  an  action.  Sin,  as  an 
expression  of  character,  or  as  an  overt  act,  is  doubtless  Ct  a 
transgression  of  the  law but  as  a  state  or  disposition  of 
the  soul,  an  element  or  principle  of  the  life,  it  is  more  than 
this.  It  lies  in  the  very  centre  of  our  being,  which  is 
tainted  or  perverted  in  some  way  before  it  can  transgress 
the  law.  The  author  of  the  definition  in  the  Assembly’s 
Shorter  Catechism  nearly  touched  the  real  essence  of  the 
thing,  when  he  said  “  sin  is  any  want  of  conformity  unto, 
or  transgression  of  the  law  of  God ;”  but  this  is  too  vague 
and  inadequate.  Ullmann  goes  no  farther,  when  affirming 


*  Quoted  in  Suicer’s  Thesaurus,  and  re-quoted  by  Ullmann. 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST.  89 

sin  to  be  “  the  deviation  of  a  free  nature  from  the  moral 
law  of  God ;  the  disagreement  of  the  moral  life,  that  is, 
the  intentions,  the  general  aim  of  the  will,  or  a  single  act 
of  the  will,  and  the  outward  deeds  with  the  divine  law.”* 
Such  descriptions,  accurate  enough  as  descriptions,  touch 
only  the  surface  of  the  subject,  and  leave  its  real  nature  or 
essence  in  profound  obscurity. 

The  soul  sustains  its  highest  and  most  intimate  relations 
to  God.  So  long  as  it  abides  in  him,  it  cannot  sin.  Love 
and  purity  are  the  necessary  elements  of  its  being.  It 
goes,  therefore,  into  the  very  essence  of  the  matter,  to  say 
that  sin  is  the  estrangement  or  deviation,  in  act  or  disposi¬ 
tion,  of  a  free  moral  nature  from  God, — estrangement,  more 
or  less  complete,  from  the  Being,  who  is  himself  the  law 
of  the  moral  universe,  and  the  very  foundation  of  the  soul’s 
life  ;  in  a  word,  the  alienation  of  a  free  and  deathless  spirit 
from  its  centre  and  its  end.  God  is  the  root  of  being  and 
of  well-being.  He  is  the  law  of  laws,  the  sum  and  centre 
of  all  spiritual  life.  To  know  and  love  God  supremely,  in 
other  words,  to  be  united  to  God,  as  heart  to  heart,  and 
spirit  to  spirit,  and  thence  to  live  in  him,  and  by  him,  and 
for  him,  constantly  and  forever,  is  to  be  sinless  and  perfect. 
Then  the  finite  blends  with  the  infinite,  and  all  error,  in¬ 
completeness  and  imperfection  are  excluded.  The  soul, 
escaping  “  the  pollution  that  is  in  the  world  through  lust,” 
is  a  partaker  of  the  Divine  nature,  and  lives  in  conscious 
and  everlasting  harmony  with  the  good  and  the  true.  So 


*  “Sinlessness  of  Christ,”  by  Dr.  Ullmann  of  Heidelberg.  See  “German  Selec¬ 
tions,”  by  Edwards  and  Park. 


8* 


90 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD, 


long,  however,  as  the  union  is  not  complete,  so  long  as  it  is 
disturbed  by  estrangement  or  deviation  of  any  kind,  whether 
occasional  or  permanent,  there  is  imperfection  and  sin. 
Hence,  at  present,  good,  yet  imperfect,  men  are  only  rising 
towards  it.  Their  union  to  God,  as  a  permanent  thing,  is 
not  in  all  respects  complete.  But  they  will  finally  reach  it. 
Even  now,  they  may  be  said,  for  the  moment,  to  be  sinless 
or  perfect,  at  least  in  a  partial  sense,  whenever  they  truly 
live  in  God,  and  do  his  will.  But  with  defective  natures, 
they  are  liable  to  fall  from  this  elevation,  losing  even  the 
sense  of  the  infinite,  and  consequently  falling  into  sin,  to 
the  sad  injury  of  their  regenerated  souls.  But  returning  to 
God,  as  the  magnetic  needle  to  the  pole,  tending  evermore 
towards  infinite  love  and  purity,  they  are  destined  at  last 
to  the  attainment  of  a  complete  harmony  with  God.  Then 
will  their  love,  purity  and  happiness  be  spontaneous  and 
immutable. 

Now,  it  is  in  this  high  sense  that  we  maintain  the  abso¬ 
lute  sinlessness,  or  perfection,  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  that, 
too,  in  the  merely  human  aspect  of  his  character.  As  a 
man,  as  a  teacher,  as  a  prophet,  as  a  friend,  brother,  and 
citizen  of  the  world — above  all,  as  a  redeemer  and  a  guide, 
he  lived  in  God.  The  human  blended  with  the  Divine — 
was  guided  and  controlled  by  the  Divine.  Exposed  to  the 
most  terrible  tests,  there  was  no  disturbance  here;  no  aliena¬ 
tion  or  estrangement.  The  harmony  was  complete,  change¬ 
less,  and  eternal.  Jesus  was  holy  as  God  is  holy.  His 
whole  being  and  life — thought,  feeling,  purpose,  and  action 
— were  one  with  God.  He  never  thought  wrong,  never 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST. 


91 


felt  wrong,  never  did  wrong.  Not  only  so,  but  he  possessed 
all  positive  virtue,  being  “  full  of  grace  and  truth.”  Love? 
purity,  and  devotion,  constituted  his  life ;  in  other  words, 
were  as  inseparably  blended  in  his  life,  as  the  colors  are 
blended  in  the  rainbow.  As  God  is  love,  so  was  he  love. 
As  God  is  justice,  so  was  he  justice.  As  God  lives  to  do 
good,  so  he  lived  to  do  good.  Goodness,  absolute  and 
changeless,  was  his  being’s  end  and  aim.  His  inward  and 
outward  life  were  equal  and  harmonious.  The  word  cor¬ 
responded  to  the  idea,  the  action  to  the  feeling,  the  end  to 
the  purpose,  and  all  were  holy. 

This  is  the  uniform  testimony  of  his  followers ;  this  is 
the  actual  fact  in  his  history.  It  is  proved  by  innumerable 
confluent  evidences.  His  character  was  perfect  as  a  whole 
— perfect  in  all  its  details.  It  was  based  in  God,  began 
in  God,  and  ended  in  God :  so  that  his  whole  existence 
was  the  mirror  of  the  Divine.  There  we  behold,  as  in  a  glass, 
the  glory  of  God. 

A  character  like  this  is  a  great  moral  miracle ;  such  as 
earth,  since  the  fall,  saw  never ;  such  as  the  Deity  alone 
could  produce.  It  transcends,  as  a  miracle,  the  creation  of 
the  world,  or  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  The  very  idea 
of  such  a  character,  is  the  most  august  and  thrilling 
that  has  dawned  upon  the  world.  u  It  is  an  idea  for 
which,”  as  a  devout  and  learned  theologian  has  remarked, 
“  one  might  consent  to  be  branded  and  broken  on  the 
wheel.”  Jesus  Christ,  even  as  a  man,  stands  at  the  head 
of  a  new  moral  creation.  He  is  the  model  and  repre¬ 
sentative  of  a  glorified  race.  For,  as  “  we  have  borne  the 


92 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


image  of  the  earthly,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the 
heavenly.” 

But  to  the  proof.  What,  in  the  first  place,  is  the  testi¬ 
mony  of  his  followers ;  of  those,  especially,  who  drew  his 
portrait  from  the  life  ?  They  ascribe  to  him  the  highest 
attributes  of  character — and  that,  too,  in  the  most  perfect 
combination — dignity,  piety,  purity,  self-sacrifice  ;  the  most 
amazing  grandeur  and  comprehensiveness  of  view,  with  the 
greatest  tenderness,  delicacy,  and  generosity  of  impulse. 
Severe  and  lofty,  yet  serene  and  self-possessed ;  full  of 
intensest  zeal  and  strongest  energy,  yet  kind,  forbearing, 
and  merciful;  they  represent  him  going  forth  to  do  the  will 
of  God,  with  all  the  vigor  of  an  angel,  with  all  the  gen¬ 
tleness  of  a  child.  He  speaks,  and  it  is  done ;  yet  he  will 
not  break  the  bruised  reed,  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax. 
He  acts  from  the  purest,  most  disinterested  love ;  he  lives 
for  the  noblest,  most  generous  ends.  Rooted  in  God,  living 
in  God,  he  labors,  he  suffers,  he  dies  for  man.  In  vastness 
of  thought,  in  originality  and  beauty  of  conception,  in  purity 
of  feeling  and  grandeur  of  aim,  in  his  aspirations  after  an 
infinite  and  unknown  good,  especially  in  disinterestedness, 
and  enlightened  devotion,  the  character  of  Christ  transcends 
all  human  excellence.  There  is  a  depth  and  vastness  in  his 
love,  which  may  be  strictly  styled  unfathomable.  He 
shows  a  severity  and  loftiness  of  principle,  which  all  the 
powers  of  earth  and  hell  cannot  over-master.  There  seems 
a  might  within  him,  which  more  than  counter-balances  all 
external  pressure  and  trial.  He  cherishes  a  piety  which 
swells  into  a  transport,  calm  as  heaven,  yet  boundless  as 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST. 


93 


eternity.  In  a  word,  he  lives  in  the  infinite,  and  spreads 
around  him  the  influence  of  an  unlimited  good,  an  im¬ 
measurable  joy. 

“  From  heaven  he  came,  of  heaven  he  spoke, 

To  heaven  he  led  his  followers’  way ; 

Dark,  gloomy  clouds  of  night  he  broke, 

Unveiling  an  immortal  day.” 

This  is  the  testimony,  this  is  the  portrait  left  us  by  his  dis¬ 
ciples.  They  do  not,  in  so  many  words,  call  him  perfect ; 
but  they  certainly  mean  it,  when  they  speak  of  his  glory. 
The  influence  of  his  character  upon  their  minds  was  over¬ 
powering.  It  enveloped  them  like  an  atmosphere  of  light. 
They  see  nothing  else,  feel  nothing  else ;  and  hence,  in  due 
time,  they  reflect  his  image,  not  only  in  their  writings,  but 
in  their  lives  and  actions.  They  conform  their  dispositions 
and  aims  entirely  to  his  ;  so  that  the  term,  Christ-like ,  de¬ 
scribes,  with  the  utmost  precision,  their  character  and  life. 
Not  only  do  they  yield  to  his  moral  influence,  but  they 
live  and  die  to  vindicate  his  innocence,  to  proclaim  his 
glory.  One  of  them,  indeed,  betrays  him ;  but  this  is  the 
obvious  result  of  long-cherished  and  overpowering  selfish¬ 
ness,  grown  malignant  in  the  presence  of  contrasted  purity 
and  love.  Nor  has  Judas  any  secrets  to  tell,  any  charges 
to  prefer,  any  complaints  to  make.  He  can  say  nothing,  in 
the  slightest  degree,  derogatory  to  the  greatness  or  good¬ 
ness  of  Jesus.  He  confesses  that  he  has  “  betrayed  inno¬ 
cent  blood,”  and  goaded  by  infinite  remorse,  he  commits 
suicide,  in  proof  and  illustration  of  what  our  Saviour  had 
said,  that  “it  were  better  for  that  man  if  he  had  never  been 


94 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


bom.”  Pilate,  also,  confesses  that  he  “finds  no  fault  in 
him ;”  the  wife  of  Pilate,  haunted  by  horrible  dreams  on 
his  account,  vindicates  his  innocence ;  and  the  Jews  are 
compelled  to  seek  his  death  by  false  charges  and  illegal 
proceedings. 

John  the  Baptist,  confessedly  one  of  the  greatest  of  the 
prophets,  speaks  of  himself  as  unworthy  to  stoop  down  and 
unloose  the  sandals  of  Jesus.  “We  believe,”  says  one  of 
them,  speaking  the  sentiments  of  all  the  rest,  “  that  thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.”  “Did  not  our 
hearts  burn  within  us,”  exclaim  the  two  disciples  who  had 
walked  with  him  to  Emmaus,  “  did  not  our  hearts  burn 
within  us  while  he  talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while 
he  opened  unto  us  the  Scriptures  ?”  “  Lord,  if  thou  hadst 

been  here,”  is  the  touching  remark  of  Martha  and  her  sister 
Mary,  expressing  their  confidence  in  the  goodness  as  well 
as  the  power  of  Jesus,  “  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died.”  “  Rabbi,”  says  Nathanael,  when 
Christ  has  given  a  proof  of  his  wondrous  knowledge,  “  thou 
art  the  Son  of  God,  thou  art  the  King  of  Israel.”  “  Depart 
from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord !”  exclaimed  Simon 
Peter,  when  he  had  witnessed  a  manifestation  of  his  all¬ 
controlling  power.  “  And  ye  know,”  says  the  beloved  dis¬ 
ciple,  “  that  he  was  manifested  to  take  away  our  sins,  and 
in  him  is  no  sin.”  “This  was  a  righteous  man” — “this 
was  the  Son  of  God” — is  the  testimony  of  the  Roman 
centurion,  as  he  gazes  upon  the  cross ;  and  Thomas,  in 
rapt  admiration  and  adoring  reverence,  cries  out,  “  My  Lord, 
and  my  God  !”  “  We  beheld  his  glory,”  say  they  all,  “the 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST. 


95 


glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace 
and  truth !” 

So  far  as  we  are  capable  of  judging,  the  influence  which 
our  Saviour  exerted  over  his  early  followers,  was  of  the 
purest  and  most  ennobling  kind.  It  inspired  them  with  a 
new  life.  It  gave  them  other  views,  affections,  and  hopes. 
It  brought  them  into  the  sphere  of  the  infinite.  It  made 
their  hearts,  their  lives  “  sublime.”  Quickening  and  ex¬ 
panding  their  intellects,  it  supplied  them  with  boundless 
energy  and  zeal,  impelling  them  to  the  moral  conquest  of 
the  world.  It  was  as  if  the  voice  of  the  Almighty  had 
caused  streams  to  break  out  in  the  wilderness,  and  floods  in 
the  desert,  spreading  everywhere,  amid  sands  and  rocks, 
verdure  and  flowers.  Most  of  the  Apostles  and  early  dis¬ 
ciples  of  Christ  were  illiterate  men,  with  narrow  views, 
selfish  purposes,  undisciplined  minds.  They  belonged  to 
a  dark,  fanatical  age,  and  were  themselves  dark  and 
fanatical.  Jews  in  creed,  feeling  and  aim,  they  possessed 
none  of  that  enlargement,  serenity,  purity  and  benevolence, 
which  shone  so  conspicuous  in  Christ.  Occupied  with 
their  daily  toils,  as  fishermen,  tax-gatherers,  or  tent  makers, 
they  had  little  time,  and  probably  less  inclination  for  pro¬ 
found  thought  and  far-reaching  benevolence.  The  idea  of 
God  as  the  universal  Father,  and  of  a  religion  wide  as 
the  world,  all-transforming  and  all-embracing,  had  never 
dawned  upon  their  minds.  They  knew  little  of  man,  little 
of  God,  and  still  less  of  themselves.  In  a  word,  they  were 
Jews,  good  enough  in  their  way,  with  some  religion,  some 
superstition  and  much  bigotry,  but  as  incapable  of  origi- 


96 


M  ANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


nating  and  sustaining  a  system  of  faith  and  morals,  com¬ 
prehensive  and  beautiful,  like  that  of  Christianity,  as  a 
company  of  Hottentots  to  sculpture  the  Apollo,  or  con¬ 
struct  the  Parthenon.  Those  of  them  who  possessed  a 
more  active  temperament,  or  a  little  more  learning  than 
the  others,  as  for  example,  Saul  of  Tarsus,  were  yet  Jews, 
in  creed  and  in  feeling,  bitterly  hostile  to  the  cause  of  the 
humble  Nazarene,  and  little  prepared  for  the  sacrifices  and 
toils  of  a  divine  and  self-denying  faith.  The  Gospels  and 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  supply  us  with  conclusive  evi¬ 
dence  that  they  were  as  little  fit,  originally,  as  men  ever 
were,  for  the  conception  of  a  lofty  and  benevolent  enter¬ 
prise.  That  they  did  not  understand  even  the  spirit  and 
purport  of  the  Old  Testament,  we  have  conclusive  proof. 
We  have  equal  evidence  that  they  long  resisted  the  pecu¬ 
liar  views  of  Jesus.  The  idea,  then,  of  Strauss  and  others, 
that  they  spontaneously  originated  a  religious  system  so 
pure,  so  powerful  as  that  of  Christianity,  is  utterly  prepos¬ 
terous.*  Admitting,  even,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that 


*  To  state  Strauss’  Views  of  the  Life  of  Christ,  and  the  Establishment  of  Chris¬ 
tianity,  is  to  refute  them.  The  following  is  a  brief  but  fair  synopsis  of  his  work  enti¬ 
tled,  Leben  Jesu  :  “  Jesus  was  a  native  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  ;  the 
entire  account  of  his  birth  in  Bethlehem,  with  all  its  circumstances  of  danger  and  of 
miracle,  belongs  to  that  class  of  myths  which  proceed  from  the  popular  desire  of  glori¬ 
fying  the  early  life  of  distinguished  men.  Some  exhibition  of  uncommon  intelligence 
in  childhood  may  have  given  rise  to  the  story  of  his  sojourn  in  the  temple,  when  twelve 
years  old,  though  this  is  doubtful.  He  probably  had  some  instructions  from  the  Es- 
senes,  or  from  the  Rabbins,  and  intelligent  persons  whom  he  met  at  the  feasts  at  Jeru¬ 
salem.  At  about  thirty  years  of  age,  he  became  a  follower  of  John  the  Baptist,  who 
appears  to  have  belonged  to  the  ascetic  sect  of  the  Essenes,  and  to  have  proclaimed  the 
popular  idea,  very  natural  among  an  oppressed  people,  that  the  great  national  deliverer 
was  at  hand.  Jesus  probably  remained  a  follower  of  John  much  longer  than  the  par¬ 
tiality  of  tradition  would  allow  us  to  believe.  At  length  he  began  to  preach — at  first 
the  same  doctrine  with  the  Baptist,  that  the  Messiah  was  soon  to  appear.  Gradually, 


SINLESSNESS  OP  CHRIST. 


97 


it  was  baseless,  its  conception  must  have  been  one  of  the 
last  efforts  of  piety,  genius  and  virtue.  Adopted  through¬ 
out  the  world,  simply  in  its  essential  principles,  it  would 
work  the  transformation  of  the  race.  It  would  extinguish 
all  selfishness,  all  oppression  and  war.  Enthroning  God, 
the  infinite  and  the  immortal  in  every  soul,  in  every 
State,  it  would  form  the  whole  world  into  one  holy,  happy 
brotherhood. 

But  these  feeble,  illiterate,  narrow-minded  Jews,  were 
transformed  into  lofty,  noble-hearted  men,  whose  love  and 
charity  filled  the  earth  with  the  fragrance  of  Heaven,  and 
caused  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  to  bud  and 
blossom  as  the  rose.  Missionaries  and  martyrs,  they  lived 
and  died  in  holy  love  and  triumph  ;  and  have  left  behind 
them,  to  say  the  least,  the  purest,  strongest,  divinest  faith 
that  ever  blessed  the  race.  All  will  admit  that  they  pos¬ 
sessed  an  energy,  a  wisdom,  and  a  zeal,  the  most  wonder¬ 
ful,  and  that  they  succeeded  in  planting  “  the  Religion  of 
love  and  sorrow  ”  upon  the  ruins  of  heathenism. 

But  all  their  excellence  and  all  their  success,  they 
ascribe  to  Christ.  They  glory  only  in  his  cross.  How 


as  he  became  conscious  of  his  own  extraordinary  powers,  the  idea  occurred  to  him  that 
he  was  destined  to  fill  that  office.  His  conception  of  the  Messiahship,  which,  at  first, 
may  have  been  similar  to  that  entertained  by  the  people  at  large,  rose  with  his  increas¬ 
ing  experience,  until,  applying  to  himself  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament,  which 
speaks  of  the  Son  of  God  as  suffering,  he  was  convinced  that  a  violent  death,  which  the 
malice  and  power  of  his  enemies  rendered  probable,  was  a  part  of  his  great  mission. 
Having  exercised  the  office  of  a  teacher  of  virtue  and  the  reprover  of  hypocrisy,  he  was 
at  length  put  to  death.  He  did  not  rise  again,  but  the  excited  imaginations  of  his  fol¬ 
lowers  presented  his  form  in  visions ;  a  report  spread  of  his  resurrection,  which  was 
believed  among  his  followers,  and  contributed  chiefly  to  the  success  of  his  religion.” 
To  believe  such  a  theory  requires  an  amount  of  credulity  which  rarely  falls  to  the  lot 
of  man.  Poor  Strauss ! 


G 


98 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


august,  how  beautiful  and  commanding  must  that  charac¬ 
ter  have  been  which  produced  an  effect  so  vast,  so  glorious 
and  permanent. 

Moreover,  Jesus  was  surrounded  by  keen-sighted  and 
powerful  enemies,  who  watched  his  words  with  zealous 
and  eager  animosity.  These,  again,  were  succeeded  by 
others  of  a  similar  disposition,  who  turned  the  weight  of 
their  resources  against  the  infant  cause  of  Christianity. 
What  charges  then  do  they  bring  against  the  moral  char¬ 
acter  of  Christ  ?  Do  they  find  fault  with  his  conduct  and 
spirit  simply  as  a  man  ?  Do  they  charge  him  with  any 
crimes,  nay,  with  the  slightest  immoralities  ?  Do  they 
furnish  documents  and  facts  to  prove  that  he  was  revenge¬ 
ful,  proud,  worldly,  ambitious,  licentious,  or  even,  in  the 
slightest  degree,  selfish  ?  They  say  much  of  his  being  an 
impostor,  an  enthusiast,  a  madman.  They  tell  us  of  his 
heresies,  his  blasphemies,  his  innovations.  But  it  was  by 
these  he  purified  and  enlarged  the  system  of  morals, 
revealed  the  paternal  character  of  God,  shed  new  light 
upon  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  extinguished  the  supersti¬ 
tion  and  hypocrisy  of  his  age,  extended  faith  to  the  Gen¬ 
tiles,  and  inspired  millions  of  idolaters  with  the  fear  and 
love  of  the  true  and  living  God. 

We  have  four  independent  narratives  of  the  life  of  Christ, 
so  plain,  so  simple,  so  artless,  so  unimpassioned  and  honest, 
that  no  one  can  doubt  their  authenticity.  From  this  source 
we  learn  how  purely  he  lived,  how  gloriously  he  died;  what 
lofty  and  comprehensive  truths  he  taught,  what  divine  pre¬ 
cepts  he  enjoined,  and  what  beneficial  changes  he  effected. 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST. 


99 


When  we  turn,  therefore,  to  the  testimony  of  his  adver¬ 
saries.  we  find  that  it  only  corroborates  the  evangelical  nar¬ 
rative,  and  proves  the  purity  and  elevation  of  our  Saviour’s 
character. 

Many  sceptics  have  themselves  been  struck  with  the 
moral  grandeur  of  the  character  of^Christ.  While  oppo¬ 
sing  his  claims,  as  “  a  teacher  sent  from  God,”  they  have 
been  compelled  to  do  him  honor  as  a  model  of  perfection. 
There  is  no  passage  in  all  the  writings  of  Rousseau  more 
striking  and  beautiful  than  that  in  which  he  admits  the 
infinite  superiority  of  Jesus  to  Socrates,  and  expresses  the 
conviction  that  Jesus  Christ  cannot  be  an  impostor;  and  that, 
supposing  his  life  to  be  a  fabrication,  which  he  thinks  im¬ 
possible,  the  inventor  must  be  deemed  a  greater  man  than 
the  hero.  u  The  Gospel,”  says  Bolingbroke,  “  as  it  came 
from  the  hands  of  its  author,  is  one  continued  lesson  of  the 
strictest  morality,  of  justice,  of  benevolence,  and  charity.” 
The  philosophical  sceptics  of  France  and  Germany  are 
making  the  life  and  character  of  Christ  the  subject  of  their 
profoundest  study.  The  wisest  and  most  far-sighted  politi¬ 
cians,  as  well  as  the  most  learned  historians  and  critics, 
admit  that  his  religion  is  the  most  powerful  instrument  of 
civilization,  as  well  as  the  most  perfect  rule  of  conduct.* 
It  easily  blends  with  all  improvements  in  science  and 
morals.  It  advances  with  the  age — nay,  more,  it  ever 
transcends  the  age,  going  before  it  like  the  pillar  of  cloud 


*  See  Stowe’s  Report  on  Common  Schools  in  Germany.  Cousin’s  Report  on  the 
same  subject.  See  also  Coleridge’s  “  Confessions  of  an  Inquiring  Spirit.” 


100 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


by  day,  and  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night,  before  Israel  in  the 
wilderness.  “  The  character  of  Christ,”  says  Channing, 
a  though  delineated  in  an  age  of  great  moral  darkness,  has 
stood  the  scrutiny  of  ages ;  and  in  proportion  as  men’s 
moral  sentiments  have  been  refined,  its  beauty  has  been 
more  seen  and  felt.”  “  Since  the  introduction  of  Christianity,” 
he  adds,  “  human  nature  has  made  great  progress,  and 
society  experienced  great  changes ;  and  in  this  advanced 
condition  of  the  world,  instead  of  losing  its  application  and 
importance,  it  is  found  to  be  more  and  more  congenial,  and 
adapted  to  man’s  nature  and  wants.  Men  have  outgrown 
the  other  institutions  of  that  period  when  Christianity  ap¬ 
peared,  its  philosophy,  its  modes  of  warfare,  its  policy,  its 
public  and  private  economy;  but  Christianity  has  never 
shrunk  as  intellect  has  opened,  but  has  always  kept  in 
advance  of  men’s  faculties,  and  unfolded  nobler  views  in 
proportion  as  they  have  ascended.  The  highest  powers 
and  affections  which  our  nature  has  developed,  find  more 
than  adequate  objects  in  this  religion.  Christianity,  indeed, 
is  peculiarly  fitted  to  the  more  improved  stages  of  society, 
to  the  more  delicate  sensibilities  of  refined  minds,  and  espe¬ 
cially  to  that  dissatisfaction  with  the  present  state,  which 
always  grows  with  the  growth  of  our  moral  powers  and 
affections.  *  *  This  fitness  of  our  religion  to  more  ad¬ 

vanced  stages  of  society  than  that  in  which  it  was  intro¬ 
duced,  to  wants  of  human  nature  not  then  developed,  seems 
to  me  very  striking.  The  religion  bears  the  mark  of  having 
come  from  a  being  who  perfectly  understood  the  human 
mind,  and  had  power  to  provide -for  its  progress.  This 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST. 


101 


feature  of  Christianity  is  of  the  nature  of  prophecy.  It  was 
an  anticipation  of  future  and  distant  ages.”*  But  the  re¬ 
ligion  of  Christ  is  only  a  development  of  his  character.  It 
is  his  heart  embodied  in  doctrines  and  forms.  How  trans¬ 
cendent  that  excellence  which  has  gained  such  universal 
homage,  secured  such  beneficent  and  comprehensive  results ! 

Whatever  were  the  claims  of  his  higher  nature,  all  will 
admit  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  true  representative  of  man. 
His  humanity,  apart  from  all  other  considerations,  was  as 
perfect  as  can  be  conceived.  How  pure  and  beautiful  his 
affection  for  his  mother  and  his  friends  !  What  endearing 
ties  bound  him  to  his  disciples,  especially  to  il  the  beloved 
disciple,”  the  spiritual,  ethereal,  contemplative  John  !  How 
intensely  he  felt  for  man,  not  simply  for  his  countrymen — 
and  certainly  he  loved  them  well — but  for  man !  In  this 
respect,  he  is  the  most  perfect  type  of  what  man  ought  to 
be ;  for  his  love  was  individual  and  patriotic,  yet  all-perva¬ 
ding  and  universal,  like  the  fountains  of  the  primeval  Eden, 
which  blessed  the  fair  landscape  with  their  beauty  and 
freshness,  yet  broke  into  mighty  rivers  which  enriched  the 
entire  “  orient,”  and  rolled,  in  gladness  and  fruitfulness,  to 
distant  seas.  How  superior  to  all  external  circumstances, 
to  all  selfish,  all  worldly  considerations !  How  serene  in 
his  lofty  simplicity ! — how  tender  and  attractive  in  his  all- 
conquering  love !  How  profoundly  interested  in  humanity, 
as  a  living,  suffering,  hoping,  immortal  existence !  How 
completely  identified  with  all  its  permanent  interests  !  How 


*  Channing’s  Works,  Fourth  Edition,  Vol.  I.,  p.  356-7. 

9* 


102  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

deeply  engaged  for  the  poor,  the  outcast  and  sorrowful! 
Instead  of  courting  the  favor  of  the  rich,  and  attempting 
to  reform  the  higher  walks  of  life — ever  a  vain  endeavor,  so 
long  as  the  heaving  masses  below  are  putrefying  with 
spiritual  disease — he  went  down  into  the  very  depths  of  ig¬ 
norance  and  vice,  entering  the  lanes,  the  highways  and 
hedges  of  our  common  misery,  to  gather  the  outcasts  of 
Israel,  and  raise  them  to  glory. 

The  perfection  of  Christ’s  humanity  was  evinced  in  his 
temperate  use  of  earthly  enjoyments.  Thus,  while  far  re¬ 
moved  from  the  luxuries  of  the  world,  and  living  a  spiritual, 
self-sacrificing  life,  he  was  no  ascetic.  Nothing  rough  and 
sour  attached  to  his  self-denial,  nothing  sensual  or  grovel¬ 
ing  to  his  enjoyment.  He  mingled  with  ease  and  grace¬ 
fulness  among  his  fellow-men  ;  he  ate  and  drank,  he  talked 
and  acted,  he  slept  and  awaked,  just  like  other  men ;  and 
yet  he  appeared  as  a  pure  spirit,  living  alone  in  the  world — 
a  being  rather  of  the  past  and  the  future,  than  of  the 
present — one  that  belonged  more  to  heaven  than  to  earth, 
to  eternity  than  to  time — one  that  was  in  the  world,  and 
3ret  out  of  it — one  that  was  finite,  and  yet  infinite — one  that 
was  human,  and  yet  divine ; — like  a  star  in  the  depths  of 
ether,  far  off  and  mysterious,  yet  blessing  the  earth  with  its 
,  gentle,  never-failing  radiance.  How  frequent,  how  earnest 
,  and  long-protracted  his  devout  communings  in  the  grand 
and  solitary  haunts  of  nature !  How  utterly  absorbed,  and, 
so  to  speak,  lost  in  God — in  the  infinite  and  eternal !  Y et 
he  loved  the  face  of  nature,  and  the  face  of  man.  His 
wanderings  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  in  the  garden  of  Olivet, 


SIN  LESS  NESS  O  E  CHRIST. 


103 


and  in  the  deep,  old  wilderness,  prove  that  he  held  fellow¬ 
ship  with  nature.  It  seemed,  indeed,  a  part  of  himself. 
The  beauty  and  serenity  of  his  character  are  never  so  beau¬ 
tiful  or  serene,  as  when  seen  embosomed  in  the  country. 
There,  like  Fenelon,  he  found  “God’s  peace,”  blending,  as 
it  were,  with  the  boundless  and  beautiful.  His  metaphors 
and  apologues,  his  allusions  and  illustrations,  drawn  from 
the  natural  aspects  of  creation,  all  corroborate  this  view. 
How  much,  also,  he  seemed  interested  in  little  children ;  as 
if,  somehow,  they  seemed  to  belong  to  heaven.  Types  of 
innocence  and  purity,  he  loved  to  look  upon  the  little  prat¬ 
tlers,  to  take  them  in  his  arms  and  bless  them.  “  Suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.”  Yet  he  had  a  vast  and 
painful  work  before  him,  for  the  redemption  of  the  world — 
a  work,  upon  which  he  was  accustomed  to  dwell  with 
intense,  all-consuming  interest ;  as  if  a  man,  wandering 
through  some  fair  landscape,  with  the  music  of  birds  and 
falling  fountains  in  his  ears,  should  yet  behold  in  the  dis¬ 
tance,  darkly  marked  against  the  clear  sky,  the  scaffold 
and  the  block  prepared  for  his  execution.  “  I  have  a  bap¬ 
tism,  (a  baptism  of  blood  and  agony,)  to  be  baptized  with, 
and  how  am  I  straightened  till  it  is  accomplished !” 

Our  Saviour  was  sometimes  stern,  but  he  was  mainly 
gentle.  Had  he  lacked  the  first  of  these  qualities,  he 
would  have  wanted  an  essential  element  of  true  greatness. 
That  feeble  sentimentalism,  the  product  of  sickly  romance 
or  of  morbid  enthusiasm,  which  extinguishes  the  sterner 
virtues,  and  forbids  us  to  rebuke  all  meanness  and  wrong- 


104 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


doing,  which  breaks  down  all  decision  of  character,  and 
makes  endurance  the  only  virtue  worthy  of  cultivation,  is 
opposed  to  the  spirit  of  a  pure  and  elevated  religion.  Thus, 
while  our  Saviour  was  meek  and  lowlv  of  heart,  while  he 
would  not  break  the  bruised  reed,  nor  quench  the  smoking 
flax,  he  denounced,  in  language  of  fire,  the  pride,  the 
hypocrisy,  and  the  rapacity  of  the  Pharisees,  and  with 
stem  rebuke  drove  out  the  impious  wretches  who  profaned 
his  Father’s  house.  W e  are  not,  indeed,  to  suppose,  as  some 
have  erroneously  done,  that  he  applied  the  scourge  of  small 
cords  to  the  mercenary  dealers.  That  were  an  act  incon¬ 
sistent  with  his  majestic  bearing  as  the  Son  of  God.  He 
merely  assumed  this  instrument  of  punishment  as  a  sym¬ 
bol  of  authority,  and  had  only  to  appear  as  the  representa¬ 
tive  of  the  Father,  among  the  multitude  who  thronged  the 
temple  with  their  vile  traffic,  and  in  that  awful  tone,  which 
reminded  the  people  of  the  voice  of  God,  to  command  their 
departure.  Terror-stricken  with  his  majestic  presence,  and 
impelled  by  sudden  and  deeply  startled  feeling,  they  would 
give  way  before  him,  as  the  waves  yield  to  the  might  of 
the  storm.  It  would  then  be  natural  and  proper  for  him  to 
cause  the  tables  of  the  money-changers  to  be  overturned, 
and  explain  the  whole  by  saying,  11  My  house  shall  be 
called  a  house  of  prayer,  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of 
thieves.”  It  is  on  this  principle,  also,  we  are  to  explain  his 
conduct  with  reference  to  the  destruction  of  the  herds  of 
swine,  in  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes.  If  the  owners 
were  Jews,  they  were  guilty  of  a  breach  of  the  law ;  if 
Qentiles,  of  tempting  the  Jews  to  sin ;  and  it  was  there- 


SINLESSNESS  OP  CHRIST. 


105 


fore  meet  to  punish  their  avarice,  and  to  do  so  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  produce  a  deep  moral  impression. 

It  has  been  thought  by  some  persons  incapable  of  think¬ 
ing  justly,  far  less  profoundly,  upon  the  subject,  that  our 
Saviour  evinced  some  degree  of  anger,  if  not  of  petulance, 
when  he  cursed  the  barren  fig-tree  Never  was  a  greater 
mistake.  That  was  obviously  a  symbolical  action,  intended 
to  teach  a  most  impressive  lesson,  a  lesson  which  it  has 
taught  for  eighteen  centuries,  and  which  it  will  continue  to 
teach  till  the  end  of  time.  Never  was  an  action  more 
calmly  or  more  deliberately  done,  and  none  was  better 
fitted  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  all,  the  overcoming 
power  of  faith,  and  the  momentous  distinction  between  the 
form  of  godliness  and  the  power  thereof. 

But  the  gentleness  and  self-sacrificing  generosity  of 
Christ  are  obviously  the  most  distinguishing  traits  in  his 
character ;  and  these  have  impressed  themselves  the  most 
strongly  upon  thoughtful  and  pure  minded  men.  Though 
he  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  he  became  poor.  Indeed,  he 
never  acted  on  his  own  behalf.  He  lived  for  others,  not  for 
himself.  Property  he  had  none,  fame  none,  rest  none,  joy 
none,  except  the  sublime  one  of  doing  good.  He  gave 
himself  a  sacrifice  for  the  world.  Nay,  he  died  for  the  re¬ 
demption  of  those  who  cried  out,  Crucify  him  !  crucify 
him  !  In  a  word,  he  laid  himself  a  victim  on  the  altar  of 
benevolence,  and  was  consumed  in  the  flames  of  his  own 
love. 

The  striking  contrasts  in  our  Saviour’s  character,  some 
of  which  we  have  noticed,  are  among  the  most  convincing 


106 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


proofs  of  its  perfection.  It  was  a  combination  of  qualities 
not  easily  reconciled,  which  are  rarely,  if  ever  found  in  the 
same  person  ;  which  seem,  in  fact,  incongruous,  being  made 
up  of  opposites,  but  so  blended  and  adjusted,  like  the  differ¬ 
ent  colors  which  compose  the  sunlight,  as  to  constitute 
perfect  moral  beauty.  Here  we  discover  an  unparalleled 
dignity  and  sense  of  greatness,  with  a  humility  and  con¬ 
descension  transcending  any  thing  found  among  mortals  ; 
a  complete  superiority  to  the  world  and  its  pleasures,  with 
the  most  perfect  sympathy  in  man,  and  in  all  pertaining  to 
man  ;  an  intense  indignation  against  sin,  with  compassion 
for  the  sinner  ;  the  widest  philanthropy  with  the  tenderest 
friendship ;  the  gratitude  and  submission  of  a  son,  with  the 
power  and  authority  of  a  king  ;  the  patience  and  forgive¬ 
ness  of  a  martyr,  with  the  grandeur  and  supremacy  of  a 
God.  Never  man  lived, — never  man  died  like  this  man ! 

But  we  are  to  prove  that  Jesus  was  absolutely  sinless. 
By  this  we  do  not  mean  to  affirm  that  he  was  free  from  all 
temptation  to  sin,  or  that  he  was  destitute  of  those  natural 
susceptibilities,  which,  if  not  controlled  by  a  higher  nature, 
ever  lead  to  sin ;  for  we  are  expressly  informed  in  the 
Scripture,  that  he  u  was  made  in  all  things  like  as  we  are,” 
nay,  that  he  was  “  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are, 
yet  without  sin.”  His  nature  was  human,  even  if  united 
with  the  Divine,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term,  and  thence 
he  possessed  all  those  susceptibilities  which,  when  unduly 
excited,  ever  lead  to  sin.  Thus  he  was  capable  of  temp¬ 
tation,  at  least  from  without.  But  he  never  sinned  ;  that  is 
to  say,  he  uniformly  overcame  temptation.  He  was  sinless 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST, 


107 


in  the  sense  of  being  free  from  all  transgression,  either  in 
thought,  feeling  and  action,  and  in  having  all  his  powers 
and  susceptibilities  in  due  proportion  and  harmony  ;  the  su* 
perior  having  a  complete  and  constant  mastery,  the  inferior 
being  kept  in  due  and  permanent  subjection. 

Further,  he  was  not  only  sinless  in  the  sense  of  being 
free  from  all  transgression,  internal  or  external,  but  in  pos¬ 
sessing  all  positive  goodness  and  virtue.  “  It  pleased  the 
Father  that  inhim  should  all  fullness.  (n-Aepw/ia,  completeness, 
perfection,)  dwell.”  His  nature  was  embodied  wisdom, 
purity  and  love.  Heaven  lay  mirrored  in  his  soul. 

Upon  this  point  we  have  the  express  testimony  of  the 
Apostles.  They  speak  of  him  in  a  special  and  most  sig¬ 
nificant  sense,  as,  the  Holy  One  of  God ,  as  that  just  One:  as 
righteous ,  nay  as  righteousness  itself,  as  the  very  source  of 
righteousness ,  as  the  High  Priest  offering  sacrifice  for  other s, 
but  not  for  himself ;  as  the  spotless  Lamb  of  God  ;  as  made 
sin.  but  not  sinful ;  as  having  no  guile  ;  as  a  perfect  exam¬ 
ple  to  be  followed ;  as  holy ,  harmless ,  undefiled,  and  separate 
from  sinners  ;  as  the  light  of  the  world ;  as  the  way ,  the 
truth ,  and  the  life  ;  as  the  divine  Word;  as  made  unto  us 
wisdom,  righteousness ,  sanctification  and  redemption  ;  as  en¬ 
dued  with  the  spirit  above  measure ;  as  possessed  of  all  the 
fullness  of  God ;  as  the  image  of  the  invisible  God ;  as  the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express  (exact) 
image  of  his  person,  (nature.)* 

*  Acts,  iii.  14—1  Pet.  iii.  18—1  John,  ii.  1— Heb.  vii.  27—1  Pet.  i.  19—2  Cor.  v.  21— 
1  Pet.  ii.  22,  v.  21— Heb.  vii.  26— Luke,  ii.  32— John,  i.  9— John,  xiv.  6— John,  i.  1 — 
1  Cor.  i.  30 — John,  iii.  34 — Col.  ii.  9 — 2  Cor.  iv.  4 — Heb.  i.  3 


108  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

If  Christ  had  not  been  sinless,  as  a  High-Priest  it  would 
have  been  necessary  for  him  to  offer  sacrifice,  and  make 
atonement  for  himself ;  in  which  case  he  would  have  pos¬ 
sessed  no  official  superiority  to  the  priests  of  the  Old  Tes¬ 
tament  dispensation.  On  this  supposition,  also,  u  his  death 
is  vain,  we  are  yet  in  our  sins.”  This  is  the  reasoning  of 
St.  Paul  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  “For  such  an 
High-Priest  became  us,  who  is  holy,  harmless,  undefiled, 
separate  from  sinners,  and  made  higher  than  the  heavens, 
who  needeth  not  daily,  as  those  High-Priests,  to  offer  up 
sacrifice ;  for  this  he  did  once  when  he  offered  up  himself. 
For  the  law  maketh  men  High-Priests  which  have  infir¬ 
mity  ;  but  the  word  of  the  oath,  which  was  since  the  law, 
maketh  the  Son  (without  infirmity,)  who  is  consecrated  for 
evermore.”* 

But  it  was  not,  as  Ullmann  has  well  remarked,  merely 
from  the  dogmatical  point  of  view,  that  the  Apostles  as¬ 
serted  the  sinlessness  of  Christ.  They  did  not  deduce  this 
as  an  inference  from  his  official  relations  as  the  Messiah. 
u  Their  conviction  rested  upon  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his 
life.  They  did  not  model  the  life  of  Jesus  according  to 
their  own  ideas,  but  their  own  ideas  were  by  degrees  modeled 
according  to  the  instructions  and  life  of  Jesus.” 

The  Gospel  narrative  is  an  artless  copy  of  a  divine  model, 
upon  whose  glorious  features  its  authors  had  gazed  with 
such  intense  and  devout  admiration,  as  to  be  capable  of  de¬ 
lineating  it  with  perfect  accuracy.  On  this  account  the 


*  Heb.  vii.  26,  27,  28. 


SIN  LESS  NESS  OF  CHRIST. 


109 


Gospel  narrative  cannot  be  an  ideal  fiction.  It  were  an 
absurdity  in  the  nature  of  things  to  suppose  it  such ;  for 
in  this  case  we  should  have  an  effect  without  a  cause,  a 
copy  without  an  original. 

The  religion  of  Christ,  to  quote  the  words  of  a  great 
actor,  if  not  of  a  great  thinker,  u  is  a  self-existent  mys¬ 
tery.”*  There  is  in  it  a  deep  peculiarity  of  character  pro¬ 
ceeding  from  a  source  not  human.  Jesus  borrowed  nothing 
from  philosophy.  His  system  is  entirely  original.  Indeed 
it  can  scarcely  be  called  a  system.  It  is  a  life,  an  act,  or 
series  of  acts — a  drama,  divine  and  wonderful.  Only  in 
himself  is  it  completely  revealed.  Here,  rather  than  in  his 
words,  is  it  perfectly  taught.  Pythagoras,  Plato  and  Aris¬ 
totle  founded  systems,  very  splendid  and  imposing,  but  un¬ 
substantial,  which  have  passed  away.  Indeed,  all  human 
speculations  are  fated  to  destruction.  All  human  knowl¬ 
edge  will  vanish.  But  Jesus  created  a  life,  and  that,  too,  by 
means  of  death — a  life  serene,  beautiful  and  godlike,  a 
life  indestructible  and  omnipotent,  and  which  is  just  begin¬ 
ning  to  develop  its  heaven-born  energies.  Philosophy  has 
attempted  to  found  an  empire  by  syllogisms ;  politics  by 
means  of  force ;  but  such  empires  are  ever  crumbling  and 
passing  awajc  Jesus  has  founded  an  empire  of  love,  an 
empire  of  purity  and  virtue,  righteousness  and  peace.  That 
empire  is  gaining  ground.  It  counts  its  subjects  by  mil¬ 
lions.  It  will  yet  envelope  the  globe. 

Jesus  Christ  is  himself  a  religion.  His  life  illustrates  his 


*  Napoleon. 


10 


* 


110  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

ethics,  his  ethics  illustrate  his  life.  His  law  is  perfect,  so 
is  his  example.  They  are  one.  And  as  this  is  the  only 
perfect  system  of  morals,  Jesus  is  the  only  perfect  man. 

All  feel  that  Jesus  was  humble,  pre-eminently  so.  His 
disciples  tell  us  that  “  he  made  himself  of  no  reputation,” 
that  he  was  “  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,”  and  we  find  his 
entire  conduct  corresponding  with  this  idea.  But  he  claims 
a  perfect  oneness  with  God.  He  tells  us  that,  u  he  that 
hath  seen  him  hath  seen  the  father  that  “  he  was  in  the 
Father  and  the  Father  in  him ;”  expressions  indicating,  at 
least,  a  profound  consciousness,  on  his  part,  of  complete 
moral  harmony  with  God.  He  claims  a  purity,  a  perfec¬ 
tion,  an  authority  which  can  belong  only  to  a  sinless  being  ; 
and  Jehovah  authenticates  the  claim  by  stupendous  mira¬ 
cles.  u  This  is  my  beloved  Son,”  is  the  testimony  of  the 
Father,  u  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  I” 

Could  our  Saviour  assume  what  did  not  clearly  belong 
to  him  ;  or  could  he  imagine  himself  in  the  possession  of  a 
purity  to  which  he  had  no  claim?*  His  meekness,  his 
humility,  his  perfect  mastery  of  himself,  his  intimate 
knowledge  of  man,  his  clear  comprehension  of  all  moral 
truth,  his  intimate  fellowship  with  his  Father,  his  disinter¬ 
estedness,  and  self-sacrifice,  utterly  forbid  the  supposition. 
Thus,  then,  we  have  his  own  express  affirmation,  the  testi¬ 
mony  of  his  followers,  the  testimony  even  of  his  enemies, 
the  witness  of  the  Word,  and  the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  that 
he  was  absolutely  sinless  and  perfect . 


*  “Which  of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin  1”  is  his  own  sublime  appeal  to  the  Jews. 


SINLESSNESS  OF  CHRIST. 


Ill 


But  we  ought  to  look  chiefly  at  the  essential  elements  of 
our  Saviour’s  character,  which  lie  in  the  depths  of  the  soul, 
in  the  thoughts,  volitions,  impulses  and  aims  of  his  spirit¬ 
ual  and  immortal  nature.  What  do  we  see  there?  Only 
the  pure,  the  disinterested,  the  self-sacrificing,  the  infinite ; 
in  other  words,  perfect  holiness,  perfect  devotion,  perfect 
love.  Hence,  “  for  the  joy  set  before  Him,”  the  joy  of 
gratified  benevolence,  he  conquered  all  evil,  conquered  all 
death.  His  whole  nature  is  love,  infinite  as  God,  bound¬ 
less  as  eternity.  His  whole  heart  is  love,  free,  spontaneous 
and  universal.  His  whole  life  is  love,  active,  measureless, 
immortal.  In  a  word,  Christ  is  love,  as  God  is  love.  God 
is  perfect, — -Christ  is  perfect.  God  and  Christ  are  one. 


I 


✓ 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


In  our  discussion  of  the  sinlessness  of  Christ,  we  have 
considered  him  chiefly  as  a  man,  as  the  representative  and 
model  of  a  new  spiritual  race.  Christ,  indeed,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  Divine  idea  of  a  man.  But  so  great,  so 
absolute  is  his  sinlessness  or  perfection,  that  it  seems  to 
border  on  that  of  Divinity  itself,  nay,  imperceptibly  to  pass 
into  it,  as  the  early  dawn  passes  into  the  radiance  of  ad¬ 
vancing  day.  Nor  is  this  unnatural.  For  as  the  good 
man  lives  in  God.  and  thence  derives  his  virtue,  so  God 
may  live  in  the  good  man,  and  produce  the  same  result. 
Perfect  holiness  would  be  the  necessary  effect  of  a  Divine 
incarnation.  To  say  the  least,  the  character  of  Christ, 
even  in  its  human  aspect,  suggests  that  of  the  Divine,  and 
might,  therefore,  be  made  the  vehicle  of  a  peculiarly  direct 
and  vivid  manifestation  of  the  Godhead.  It  would  surprise 
no  thoughtful  person,  we  think,  if  the  Deity  should,  by  a 
closer  tie  than  exists  between  himself  and  all  the  works  or 
creatures  of  his  hand,  unite  his  glory  with  this  high  form, 
and  through  the  man  Jesus  Christ,  reveal  to  the  world  his 
boundless  love  and  power.  Here,  then,  we  ascend  to  a 
higher  point  of  view,  and  maintain  that  Jesus  Christ,  while 
a  man,  possesses  another  nature,  a  higher  and  more  perfect 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


113 


life,  a  more  august  and  wonderful  perfection.  He  is  not 
only  the  Son  of  Man ,  but  he  is  also  the  Son  of  God,  and 
that,  too,  in  the  loftiest  sense  of  the  expression.*  So  that 
we  recognize  him  by  “  a  name  which  is  above  every  name, 
that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  and 
every  tongue  confess.  He  is  not  only  the  representative  of 
humanity,  but  the  representative  also  of  Divinity ;  and  in 
this  relation,  exhibits  not  only  all  the  attributes  of  perfect 
manhood ,  but  those  also  of  perfect  Godhead.  Spiritually 
and  morally,”  to  quote  the  felicitous  language  of  Ullmann, 
“Jesus  is  an  image  of  God,  the  resplendence  of  the  Majesty 
on  high,  the  expression  of  the  Divine  nature  within  the 
restrictions  of  a  human  life.” f  He  is  such  in  a  higher 
sense  than  any  man  or  angel,  however  exalted  ;  for  he  is 
“above  all” — “before  all” — and  by  him  “all  things  con¬ 
sist ;”  he  is  not  simply  “the  Word”  the  Revealer  of  God, 
but  God  himself.  “  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and 
the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.”J 


*  The  mere  application  to  Christ  of  the  term  “Son  of  God,”  would  not  of  itself 
prove  his  divinity.  But  the  New  Testament  in  many  places  represents  him  as  the 
only  Son  of  God,  and  in  a  sense  so  high  and  exclusive,  as  to  involve  the  possession  of  a 
divine  nature.  As  the  Son,  he  participates  in  the  essence  and  attributes  of  the  Father, 
and  receives  the  same  homage  and  worship.  Even  Dr.  Channing  (Life,  Vol.  i.  p.  298,) 
says,  “  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  in  a  peculiar  sense — the  temple  of  the  Divinity — 
the  brightest  image  of  his  glory.  In  seeing  him  we  see  the  Father.” 
t  “German  Selections,”  p.  413. 

J  John,  i.  1.  For  the  import  of  the  term  Logos,  Word  or  Reason,  in  its  application  to 
Christ,  see  Knapp’s  Theology,  p.  136.  In  Plato  the  term  signifies  the  reason  of  a  thing, 
in  distinction  from  its  essence,  that  indeed  by  which  its  essence  reveals  itself.  He  ap¬ 
plies  it  to  the  J\Tous  or  Understanding ,  which  may  be  called  the  self-revelation  of 
God,  the  second  person  in  the  Platonic  Trinity,  whom  Plato  represents  as  begotten  of 
God,  and  as  the  Creator  of  the  worlds.  See  Dr.  Lewis’  “  Platonic  Theology,”  p.  195. 
Cudworth’s  “  Intellectual  System,”  Vol.  i.  pp.  535  and  769.  The  term  was  in  use, 
particularly  among  the  Hellenic  Jews,  and  is  frequently  employed  by  Philo  and  others, 
as  a  designation  of  the  Messiah,  the  great  Revealer  of  God.  As  many  false  views  pre- 

10* 


114 


M ANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


Thus  the  design  of  his  mission  is  complex ;  first,  to  show, 
by  a  manifestation  the  most  peculiar  and  overpowering, 
what  God  is ;  and  secondly,  what  wan  ought  to  be ;  and 
having  done  this,  to  make  “  an  atonement  for  sin,”  and 
thus  unite  God  and  man,  the  finite  with  the  infinite,  the 
sinful  with  the  sinless.  “  God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the 
world  unto  himself.”  “We  joy  in  God  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  we  have  received  the  atonement.” 
Christ,  then,  is  the  central  point  of  union  with  God.  W e 
find  God  here,  are  united  to  God  here.  In  this  centre  all 
extremes  meet ;  earth  and  heaven,  sin  and  holiness,  man  and 
God.  Jesus  is  the  Mediator,  the  Reconciler,  linked  to 
God  by  his  Divinity  on  the  one  side,  linked  to  man  by  his 
humanity  on  the  other,  as  much  God  as  man,  as  much 
man  as  God,  the  God-man,  as  the  old  fathers  loved  to  call 
him.  In  this  consists  that  “mystery,”  or  secret  of  the 
Divine  “  will,  according  to  his  good  pleasure  which  he 
hath  purposed  in  himself,  that  in  the  dispensation  of  the 
fullness  of  time,  he  might  gather  together  in  one,  all  things 
in  Christ ,  both  which  are  in  heaven,  and  which  are  on 
earth,  even  in  him.”#  Christ,  then,  is  the  keystone  of  the 
spiritual  arch,  the  “  Head  over  all  things  to  the  Church,” 
“  the  fullness  of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all in  other  words, 
“  the  true  God  and  eternal  life.”f 

This  great  fact  is  surely  intimated  by  Christ  himself,  when, 
in  answer  to  the  request  of  Philip,  “  Lord,  show  us  the  Fa- 


vailed  respecting  the  import  of  the  term,  the  Apostle  John  undertakes  to  correct 
them,  and  applies  it  to  Christ,  in  its  loftiest  sense,  showing  that  he  is  not  merely  the 
Revealer  of  God,  but  really  and  truly  God. 

*  2  Cor.  v.  19.  Ephes.  i.  10. 


f  Coloss.  i.  passim — 1  John,  iv.  20. 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


115 


ther  and  it  sufficeth  us/’  he  replied  in  those  profoundly  mys¬ 
terious  but  significant  words.  “  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath 
seen  the  Father,  and  how  sayest  thou,  then,  Show  us  the 
Father1?  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and 
the  Father  in  me  ?  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I 
speak  not  of  myself,  (having  no  mind,  no  will,  separate 
from  the  Divine,)  but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me ,  he 
doeth  the  works.”  Now  if  Christ  was  not  the  proper 
representative  of  the  Father,  an  incarnate  exhibition  or 
manifestation  of  the  Godhead  ;  if,  in  other  words,  all  the 
fullness  of  the  Godhead  did  not  dwell  in  him  bodily ,  what 
force  or  propriety  could  attach  to  his  words  ? 

Moreover,  did  not  Jesus  claim  this  high  dignity  when  he 
presented  himself  to  the  world  as  an  object  of  veneration 
and  love,  of  homage  and  trust,  as  “  the  way,  the  truth  and 
the  life  as  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  as  the  Redeemer  at 
once  of  the  body  and  the  soul,  as  the  Sovereign  in  Zion, 
as  the  Judge  of  the  quick  and  the  dead  ?  Did  not  all  the 
Apostles  and  early  Christians  accept  the  claim,  by  placing 
him  at  the  head  of  the  Church,  enthroning  him  in  their 
heart  of  hearts,  claiming  for  him  the  homage  of  the  world, 
and  adoring  his  glory  as  that  of  the  only-begotten  Son 
of  the  Father  ?  u  He  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine 
out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  into  our  hearts,  to  give  us  the 
light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face 
of  Jesus.”  Beholding  that  glory  through  the  opening 
heavens,  Stephen,  in  his  dying  pangs,  exclaimed,  “  Lord 
Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.”  The  apostle  Paul,  after  speak¬ 
ing  of  him  as  the  Creator  and  Lord  of  u  all  things,  visible 


116  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

and  invisible,  whether  they  be  thrones  or  dominions,  princi¬ 
palities  or  powers,”  adds,  “  And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body, 
the  Church,  who  is  the  beginning,  the  first-born  from  the 
dead,  that,  in  all  things ,  he  might  have  the  pre-eminence .”* 
Possessing  “  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth ,”  and 
“  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  of  High,”  it  was 
but  the  natural  impulse  of  the  whole  primitive  Church  to 
adore  him  as  Lord  of  all. 

Did  not  the  angels  accept  the  claim,  when  they  fell  at 
his  feet  in  adoring  worship?  Did  not  the  infinite  Father 
himself  accept  it,  when  he  commanded  them  to  do  so? 
“And  again,  when  he  bringeth  in  the  first-begotten  into 
the  world,  he  saith,  And  let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship 
him  !”f 

W as  it  not  attested  by  the  whole  intelligent  universe,  at 
the  moment  when  he  “  took  the  book  and  opened  the  seals, 
as  described  in  the  Apocalypse?  Falling  at  his  feet,  the 
whole  celestial  hierarchy  are  represented  as  singing  a  new 
song,  saying,  “  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book  and  open 
the  seals  thereof ;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed 
us  to  God  by  thy  blood.  *  *  *  And  I  beheld  and  heard 
the  voice  of  many  angels  round  about  the  throne,  and  the 
living  creatures,  and  the  elders ;  and  the  number  of  them 
was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of 
thousands  ;  saying,  with  a  loud  voice,  Worthy  is  the  Lamb 
that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing.  And 


*  Col.  i.  15, 18. 


t  Heb.  i.  6. 


4 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST.  117 

every  creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under 
the  earth,  heard  I  saying,  Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory, 
and  power,  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and 
unto  the  Lamb,  forever  and  ever.”* 

This  great  truth  is  discovered  in  all  those  passages  of 
Scripture  which  ascribe  to  Christ  the  peculiar  names  and 
attributes  of  God,  especially  his  life-giving,  all-quickening, 
all-judging  powers  ;  and  also  in  all  those  which  associate 
his  name  or  his  works  with  those  of  the  Father  and  the 
Holy  Spirit.  In  the  formula  of  baptism,  and  in  the  Apos¬ 
tolic  benediction,  those  hallowed  names  are  woven  together 
into  an  imperishable  union,  like  that  of  the  natures  they 
represent — an  argument  for  the  supreme  Divinity  of  Christ, 
so  strong  and  striking,  that  it  is  a  matter  of  amazement 
that  any  one  should  be  found  sufficiently  reckless  to  doubt  it. 

The  glory  of  Christ  breaks  upon  our  vision  at  intervals, 
in  the  history  of  his  life,  and  is  seen,  in  its  full-orbed 
splendor,  at  its  close.  While  on  earth  it  was  somewhat 
veiled,  and  he  might  sefcm,  at  times,  especially  to  a  car¬ 
nal  eye,  to  be  an  imperfect  manifestation  of  God.  But  it 
appeared  in  the  imposing  circumstances  which  preceded 
and  accompanied  his  birth,  in  his  intuitive  knowledge  of 
the  human  heart,  in  the  authoritative  character  of  his  teach¬ 
ing,  in  his  immaculate  purity  and  elevation  of  character, 
in  his  boundless  benevolence  and  self-sacrifice,  in  his  per¬ 
fect  control,  not  only  of  himself,  but  of  all  the  powers  of 
nature  around  him,  and  especially  in  his  absolute  command 


*  Rev.  v.  8 — 14. 


118 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


of  the  invisible  world.  He  had  u  the  keys  of  hell  and  of 
death.”  It  shone  out  upon  Mount  Tabor,  to  the  wondering 
gaze  of  his  disciples,  Peter,  James,  and  John,  when  they 
beheld  “  his  majesty ;”  to  the  whole  Apostles,  when  he 
walked  upon  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  hushed  the  tempest 
with  a  word ;  when  he  gave  sight  to  the  blind,  hearing  to 
the  deaf,  speech  to  the  dumb,  soundness  to  the  lame,  life 
to  the  dead !  It  gleamed  out,  with  a  resplendent  lustre, 
when  he  conquered  the  agony  of  the  cross,  broke  the  bar¬ 
riers  of  the  grave,  and,  seizing  the  gates  of  death,  bore 
them  triumphant  to  the  skies.  For  it  was  at  this  moment 
that  he  completed  the  work  of  redemption,  took  his  station 
at  the  head  of  the  Church,  and  sat  down  upon  the  throne 
of  the  universe,  the  object  of  love  and  admiration  to  the 
universal  Church.  It  was  at  this  point  in  his  history  that 
he  u  rose  up  far  above  all  principality,  and  power,  and  might, 
and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in 
this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come,”  and  that  he 
received  the  homage  and  praise  of  all  the  heavenly  host. 

True,  he  made  himself,  for  a  season,  u  a  little  lower  than 
the  angels” — he  u  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,” 
and  “  was  found  in  the  likeness  of  man.”  To  secure  the 
y  salvation  of  men,  he  consented  to  this  humiliation.  De- 
\  spised,  rejected,  and  even  crucified,  like  a  slave,  he  stooped 
'  to  the  deepest  abyss  of  human  wretchedness,  that  he  might 
rescue  the  lost,  and  lift  them  up  to  God  In  this  consists 

j 

the  amazing  character  of  his  love,  so  frequently  referred  to 
by  the  Apostles.  For  he  submitted  to  the  whole  volun¬ 
tarily,  as  “  a  sacrifice  for  sin.”  He  did  so,  when  he  had 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


119 


all  nature,  and  man,  and  spirits,  under  his  control ;  when  he 
was  “  ministered  unto”  by  angels  ;  when  he  was  recognized 
as  “the  Son  of  God,  with  power,”  as  “the  Maker  of  all  f 
worlds,”  the  “  heir  of  all  things,”  “  the  judge  of  the  quick  } 
and  the  dead.”  “  The  word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt 
among  us.”  It  “behooved  him,  in  all  things,  to  be  made 
like  unto  his  brethren.”  He  was  “  wounded  for  our  trails-  / 
gressions ;  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastise-  / 
ment  of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes  we 
are  healed.”* 

But  the  instant  he  had  endured  all  this,  and  his  work  on 
earth  was  completed,  he  stood  before-the  universe  in  all  the 
might  and  splendor  of  uncreated  Divinity.  “  In  these  last 
days  God  hath  spoken  unto  us  bj^  his  Son,  whom  he  hath 
appointed  heir  of  all  things  ;  by  whom,  also,  he  made  the 
worlds ;  who,  being  the  brightness  of  the  Father’s  glory, 
and  the  express  image  of  his  person,  and  upholding  all 
things  by  the  word  of  his  power,  when  he  had  by  himself” 

— the  sacrifice  of  himself — “  purged  our  sins,  sat  down  on 
the  right-hand  of  the  majesty  on  high.”f 

Jesus  was  the  representative  of  man,  and  therefore  he 
lived  as  a.  man,  felt  as  a  man,  wept  as  a  man,  died  as  a 
man ;  but  he  was,  also,  the  representative  of  God,  and 
therefore  he  lived,  and  acted,  reigned,  and  conquered,  as  a 
God.  As  the  representative  of  man,  he  submitted  to  the 
law,  and  yielded  homage  to  the  Father;  as  the  representa¬ 
tive  of  God,  he  asserted  his  dominion  over  law,  and  claimed 


*  Isaiah,  liii.  5. 


t  Heb.  i.  1—3. 


120 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


a  right  to  universal  supremacy.  As  the  representative  of 
man,  he  was  depressed  and  exalted,  guided  and  controlled ; 
as  the  representative  of  God,  he  was  revered  and  trusted, 
exalted  and  glorified.  As  the  representative  of  man,  he 
yielded  to  poverty  and  toil,  to  contempt  and  crucifixion ;  as 
the  representative  of  God,  he  conquered  death  and  the 
grave,  and  took  his  place  “  at  the  right-hand  of  the  majesty 
on  high.” 

Who  can  deny  that,  while  Jesus  acted  as  if  he  were 
man,  he  also  acted  as  if  he  were  God  ?  He  spake,  and  it 
was  done.  He  said,  Let  there  be  light ! — let  there  be 
life ! — and  there  was  light — there  was  life !  All  spirits 
obeyed  him — all  the  elements  of  nature  submitted  to  his 
control.  He  yielded  to  death,  so  far,  at  least,  as  his  human 
constitution  was  concerned ;  but  he  could  not  see  corrup¬ 
tion  ;  and,  therefore,  he  rose  again,  in  fulfillment  of  his  own 
prediction,  “  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  1  will 
raise  it  up  again”  By  this,  he  proved  himself,  what  he 
claimed  to  be,  the  resurrection  and  the  life ,  and  was  declared 
to  “  be  the  Son  of  God,  with  power” — a  fact  illustrated  and 
enforced  in  the  book  of  Revelation,  where  Christ  is  repre¬ 
sented  as  affirming,  u  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  and 
the  last,”  as  if  he  comprehended  all  existence  within  him¬ 
self  ;  as  if  he  were,  at  once,  space  and  infinitude,  time  and 
eternity !  “  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and 

the  ending,  saith  the  Lord ;  which  is,  and  which  was,  and 
which  is  to  come  !”* 


*  Rev.  i.  8. 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


121 


As  the  representative  of  God,  Christ  is  the  centre  of  his 
own  religious  system.  To  him,  give  all  the  prophets  wit¬ 
ness.  To  him,  all  the  Apostles  point.  In  him,  all  Christians 
believe.  For  him,  all  martyrs  bleed.  The  primitive  disci¬ 
ples  were  known  as  those  “  who  called  upon  the  name  of 
the  Lord.”  “  They  sang  hymns  to  him,”  Pliny  tells  us, 
“  as  a  God.”  They  recognized  him  as  their  Lord  and 
King.  The  dying,  in  all  ages,  hail  him  as  the  portion  of 
their  souls.  He  is  the  great  object  of  love  and  adoration 
to  the  universal  Church.  He  presides  over  it  as  his  king¬ 
dom.  He  acts  as  its  living  soul.  He  forms  its  strength, 
vitality,  and  joy.  To  “  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him 
in  other  words,  to  live  “in  Christ,”  and  to  die  “in  Christ,” 
is  the  great  aim  of  the  Apostles  and  primitive  disciples.  In 
comparison  with  this,  they  count  every  thing  but  loss.  For 
this  they  labor,  and  suffer,  and  die.  This  fills  all  their 
vision  when  they  gaze  into  the  future,  and  long  for  the 
world  beyond  the  grave.  On  earth  they  “  behold  his  glory,” 
and  “are  changed  into  his  image;”  but  in. heaven  they 
hope  to  se6  him,  “  face  to  face.”  “  To  live,  is  Christ ;  to 
die,  is  gain.”  To  be  “  absent  from  the  body,  is  to  be  present 
with  the  Lord.”  “  For  it  doth  not  yet  appear,”  says  St. 
John,  with  wondrous  depth  of  meaning,  “  what  we  shall 
be ;  but  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for 
we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.”  A  sinner,  to  be  saved,  must 
“  believe  in  Christ a  saint,  to  be  glorified,  must  “  die  in 
Christ.”  Thus,  “blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the 
Lord.”  Heaven  itself  is  attractive,  because  Christ  is  there, 

“The  Lord  God  and  the  Lamb  are  the  light  thereof.” 

1  i 


122  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

v 

Hence  all,  who  are  recognized  as  the  disciples  of  Christ, 
hail  him  as  their  Redeemer,  their  Saviour,  and  Sovereign. 
They  love  him  with  “  a  boundless,  burning  adoration,”  and 
rejoice  in  him,  “  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.”* 
As  the  representative  of  the  Father,  the  image  of  the  in¬ 
visible  God,  he  is  the  sun  of  their  heaven,  the  centre  of  their 
felicity. 

But  Christ  is  not  only  the  centre  of  his  own  religious 
system,  but  he  occupies  the  same  place  in  relation  to  the 
universe.  The  Bible  represents  him  as  constituting  the 
centre  of  all  minds,  as  sustaining  and  governing  all  worlds. 
By  him  all  things  are  created  and  upheld.  They  reflect 
his  glory ;  they  advance  his  plans. f  “  His  dominion  is  an 
everlasting  dominion,  and  his  kingdom  ruleth  over  all.”  So 
that  in  heaven,  and  on  earth,  in  the  Church,  and  in  the 
world,  “in  all  things/’  in  all  places,  he  has  “the  preemi¬ 
nence.”  In  a  word,  he  occupies  the  sphere  of  supreme 
Divinity — “  manifesting,”  through  all  ranks  of  being,  and  in 
all  places  of  his  dominion,  that  “  eternal  life,  which  was 
with  the  Father,”  the  seat  and  essence  of  infinite  love  and 
power.  The  prophet,  then,  indulges  in  no  hyperbole,  when, 
regarding  him  as  the  representative  of  the  Godhead,  he  de¬ 
scribes  him  as  the  Wonderful ;  and  Robert  Hall  only  ex¬ 
presses  the  obvious  doctrine  of  Revelation,  when  he  says : 
“  the  mysterious  constitution  of  the  person  of  Christ,  is  the 
stupendous  link  which  unites  God  and  man,  <and  heaven 
-  and  earth  ;  the  mystic  ladder,  on  which  the  angels  of  God 


*  1  John,  iii.  2. 


t  John,  i.  3.  1  Coloss.  i.  16.  Heb.  i.  2. 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


123 


ascend  and  descend ;  whose  foot  is  on  a  level  with  the 
dust,  and  whose  summit  penetrates  the  inmost  recesses  of 
an  unapproachable  splendor  !”* 

Here,  then,  we  remark  that,  if  Jesus  Christ,  in  order  to 
be  a  proper  representative  of  man,  must  himself  be  a  man, 
it  follows  that,  in  order  to  be  a  proper  representative  of  God, 
he  must  also  be  God.  The  man,  however,  is  not  the  God ; 
nor  the  God  the  man.  But  God  is  in  the  man,  by  an  in¬ 
effable  union,  with  all  his  fullness  of  majesty  and  power,  as 
in  a  sacred  temple,  through  which  is  shining  all  the  light 
and  glory  of  heaven.  We  do  not  worship  the  temple,  mag¬ 
nificent  as  it  is,  but  the  Divinity  within  the  temple — “  God 
over  all,  blessed  forever.”  The  nature  of  the  union ;  in 
other  words,  the  mystery  of  the  incarnation,  we  cannot 
explain  ;  but  the  union  itself  we  assert  and  maintain.  For, 
to  occupy  the  centre  of  truth,  to  be  the  great  object  of  in¬ 
terest,  of  affection,  veneration,  and  confidence  to  the  univer¬ 
sal  Church  ;  to  sit  on  the  throne  of  the  universe ;  to  govern 
in  the  kingdom  of  grace  ;  to  possess  the  “  keys  of  hell  and 
of  death to  create  and  to  control  the  visible  and  invisible 
worlds ;  to  receive  the  homage  of  angels  and  men  ;  and, 
finally,  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  is  the  prerogative 
only  of  the  Supreme  God.  There  is  a  sense,  then,  pro¬ 
found,  mysterious,  inexplicable,  in  which  God.  is  in  Christ , 
and  in  which  Christ  is  God.  u  And,  without  controversy, 
great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness — God  was  manifested  in 
the  flesh  !”f 

*  Works,  Vol.  I.,  p.  265. 

t  The  word  mystery ,  here  used,  designates,  it  is  said,  by  Neander  and  others,  the 


4 


124 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


To  the  view  thus  presented,  it  has  been  earnestly  ob¬ 
jected  by  Channing  and  others,  that  it  is  totally  inconsis¬ 
tent  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Divine  Unity.  But  how  can 
that  be,  for  the  same  Bible,  which  reveals  the  one,  reveals 
also  the  other?  Those,  therefore,  who,  from  this  source,  de¬ 
rive  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  believe  also  in  the  unity  of  God. 
To  us,  as  well  as  to  the  Unitarian,  there  is  only  one  God. 
No  one,  who  is  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  sacred  Trinity, 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  supposes  that 
he  is  baptized  in  the  name  of  three  Gods.  Nor  can  an  in¬ 
telligent  believer  in  Christ  be  found,  who,  in  worshipping 
Christ,  does  not  worship  the  one  true  and  living  God.  In 
that  celebrated  passage,  where  the  Divine  Unity  is  ex¬ 
pressly  taught,  the  Godhead  of  Christ  is  tacitly  implied;  and 
yet  the  passage  is  often  quoted  to  disprove  this  very  doc¬ 
trine.  “But  to  us  there  is  but  one  God,  the  Father,  of 
whom  are  all  things,  and  we  in  him  ;  and  one  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  by  him.”*  Here 
the  unity  of  God,  as  well  as  the  unity  of  Christ,  in  oppo¬ 
sition  to  polytheism,  is  distinctly  taught.  But  the  same 
things  are  predicated  of  both.  Thus :  u  One  God,  by  whom 
are  all  things.”  “  One  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  are  all 
things.”  “  One  God,  and  we  in  him.”  “  One  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  we  by  him.”  We  admit,  indeed,  that  there  is 
a  slight  variation  in  the  expressions,  indicating  the  relations 

Gospel,  rather  than  the  person  or  character  of  Christ.  But  what  is  the  Gospel  without 
Christ!  If  the  Gospel,  or  Christianity,  is  a  mystery,  we  are  sure  Christ  is.  After  all, 
we  hold  to  the  natural  application  of  the  term. 

*  1  Cor.  viii.  6. 


DIVINTTY  OP  CHRIST. 


125 


between  the  Father  and  Son — the  one  being  God  absolute, 
the  other  “God  manifest  in  the  flesh.”  But  they  are  rep¬ 
resented,  in  their  sphere,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  specific  rela¬ 
tions  which  they  sustain  to  the  universe,  and  especially  to 
the  Church,  as  possessing  the  same  attributes,  and  accom¬ 
plishing  the  same  results.  All  things  are  of  the  Father,  as 
the  supreme  and  absolute  God ;  all  things  are  of  the  Son, 
or  by  the  Son ,  as  the  Logos ,  or  medium  of  the  Divine  energy 
and  love  ;  first,  as  the  Creator  of  all  things  ;  and,  secondly, 
as  the  Redeemer  of  all  things  ;  or,  first,  as  the  Maker  of  the 
world ;  and,  secondly,  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world ; — the 
same  idea,  precisely,  which  is  expressed  in  St.  John,  i.  1 — 4, 
where  the  Word ,  made  flesh,  is  represented  as  Creator  and 
Redeemer : — “  All  things  were  made  by  him,  and  without 
him  was  not  any  thing  made  that  was  made.  In  him  was 
life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men.”  How  beautifully 
and  strikingly,  then,  is  it  said,  that  we  are  of  him ,  and  by 
him ,  and  to  him ,  as  we  are  of  and  6y,  and  to  th*#ne  eternal 
God.  There  is  one  God,  according  to  this  passage,  and 
one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  who  are 
essentially  and  morally  one ;  and,  therefore,  receive  the 
same  undivided  and  everlasting  worship.  For  all  men  are 
commanded  “  to  honor  the  Son,  even  as  they  honor  the 
Father.” 

To  us,  then,  there  is  only  one  God ;  but  the  Saviour, 
whom  we  revere  and  love,  as  “  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
life,”  is  that  one  God  in  human  form.  Let  it  never,  how¬ 
ever,  be  forgotten,  that  this  is  not  a  question  to  be  settled 
by  metaphysical  distinctions,  or  arithmetical  figures ;  ancl 

11# 


•  126 


MANIFESTATION  of  god. 


hence  we  are  far  from  saying,  that  one  is  three ,  or  three 
one,  in  any  ordinary  sense  of  these  expressions,  especially 
in  any  numerical  or  mathematical  sense,  as  some  absurdly  * 
charge  upon  us  ;  yet  we  do  say  that  the  F ather  is  God,  the 
Son  is  God,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  God  ;  and  that,  in  some 
sense,  mysterious,  or  not  explained,  these  three  are  one.  A 
fact  remains — a  fact,  whether  we  can  explain  its  relations 
to  other  facts  or  not.  So  here,  the  unity  of  God  and  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  are  asserted  as  facts  ;  but  whether  we 
can  explain  the  exact  relation  between  them,  and  so  make 
them  identical,  or  harmonious,  in  the  eyes  of  human  reason, 
is  another  question.  Could  the  matter  be  determined  by  a 
mathematical  computation,  or  an  algebraic  process,  it  would 
have  been  settled  long  ago  ;  and  it  seems  to  us  high  time 
that  the  Divinity  of  Christ  were  attacked,  if  attacked  at 
all,  on  other  grounds  than  those  which  every  sensible  per¬ 
son  must  admit  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  subject.  That 
three  subsistences  here  are  one,  or  one  three  in  every  sense, 
especially  in  a  common,  obvious,  and,  above  all,  arithmetical 
or  mathematical  sense,  no  man,  who  reveres  the  word  of  God, 
can  admit.  Nor  can  any  one  be  found  obtuse  enough  to 
maintain  so  gross  an  absurdity.  It  is  only  in  some  sense — 
some  sense  consistent  with  the  nature  and  essence  of  God 
— some  sense  recondite,  or  unrevealed,  in  which  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  arc  three,  and  yet  one.  But 
of  this  we  shall  have  something  more  to  say  in  the  suc¬ 
ceeding  chapter.  At  present,  all  that  we  affirm  is,  that  our 
views  of  the  mystery  are  such  as  to  be  entirely  consistent 
with  the  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  Divine  Unity.  None 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


127 


of  us,  with  imperfect  knowledge  and  limited  capacity,  may 
so  far  comprehend  the  absolute  essence  and  infinite  nature 
of  God,  as  to  be  capable  of  showing,  by  a  logical  process, 
how  Jesus  Christ  can  be  God,  and  yet  there  be  only  one 
supreme  Divinity ;  that  is  to  say,  we  may  not  understand 
the  metaphysics  or  ^ontology  of.  the  case.  Probably  we 
have  not  arrived  at  the  ultimate  facts  or  principles  involved 
in  it ;  just  as  we  have  not  yet  arrived  at  the  ultimate  facts 
or  principles  involved  in  the  law  of  gravitation  ;  and,  while 
admitting  it  as  a  scientific  fact,  cannot  tell  what  it  really 
is — cannot  tell  whether  it  may  not  be  a  modification  of 
magnetism,  or  of  some  other  power,  known  or  unknown. 
Hence,  both  on  scriptural  and  philosophical  grounds,  it  is 
our  safer  course  simply  to  maintain  the  facts,  as  revealed 
or  proved,  by  adequate  evidence,  and  wait  for  a  higher  con¬ 
dition  of  being,  or  of  knowledge,  to  elucidate  the  whole. 
W e  would  not,  indeed,  discourage  investigation ;  but  how 
can  we  investigate  without  means  or  data?  The  subject 
may  transcend  our  powers  ;  and  all  our  speculations,  there¬ 
fore,  may  be  only  “plunges  in  the  dark.”  Yet  the  subject 
is  not  so  difficult  as  has  been  imagined ;  it  seems  to  us  the 
mind  may  rest  in  the  simple  fact  of  Christ’s  Divinity,  as 
proved — feeling  assured  that  there  is  some  sense  unknown 
and  mysterious,  in  which  a  Trinity  is  consistent  with  Unity 
—in  which  Jesus  Christ  is  truly  and  properly  a  man,  and 
yet  “  God  manifest  in  the  flesh.”  All  truth  is  made  up  of 
contrasts.  Every  fact  has  two  sides — the  one  dark,  and 
the  other  luminous.  Nay,  more  ;  it  requires  two  opposites, 
philosophers  tell  us,  to  make  a  truth.  If  you  have  only 


128  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

one,  you  have  only  a  half  truth ;  and  a  half  truth  is  an 
error.  It  is  the  union  of  the  two  which  makes  the  truth  ; 
just  as  in  chemistry,  it  is  the  union  of  opposites,  acids  and 
alkalies,  for  example ;  or  as  in  electricity,  of  negatives  and 
positives,  which  forms  perfect  combinations.  In  dynamics, 
we  have  action  and  re-action — centripetal  and  centrifugal 
forces,  the  result  of  which  is  “the  music  of  the  spheres.” 
Man  is  mortal  and  immortal.  He  is  form  and  spirit ;  body 
and  mind.  Man,  too,  is  free  and  dependent ;  a  part  and  a 
whole;  an  animal  and  a  spirit.*  The  universe  itself  is 
spirit  and  form,  substance  and  phenomena,  absolute  being 
and  relative  qualities  ;  infinite  essence  and  finite  forms  ;  in 
other  words,  God  and  his  creation.  The  union  of  these  two 
gives  us  realities,  or  truths.  Why,  then,  should  it  be 
deemed  strange,  if  we  should  find  contrasts  in  the  very 
nature  of  God,  especially  of  God  manifest  in  the  flesh? 
Divinity — humanity ;  God — man  ;  spirit — flesh,  are  oppo¬ 
sites  ;  but  they  unite  somewhere.  The  Father,  God ;  the 
Son,  God  ;  the  Holy  Ghost,  God  ;  seem  to  contradict  each 
other,  especially  the  two  former ;  for  here  is  God,  as  an  in¬ 
finite  spirit ;  and  here,  also,  is  God  incarnate ;  God  in  human 
form — as  it  were,  a  God  degraded,  or  rather,  veiled  and  ob¬ 
scured  ;  but  all  these  opposites  harmonize,  and  form  the 
eternal  verity  respecting  the  nature  and  manifestation  of 
God. 

We  call  this  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity — understanding, 


*  Freedom  and  dependence,  liberty  and  limitation,  or,  as  theologians  say,  free  grace 
and  free  will,  are  but  the  opposite  sides  of  a  great  truth.  <  1. 


MVINtTY  OF  CHRIST. 


129 


by  that  term,  simply  a  Unity  in  Trinity.  It  is  not,  prop¬ 
erly  speaking,  a  scriptural  term.  It  may  be  liable,  also,  to 
misconception  and  abuse.  Moreover,  it  “  sounds  oddly,”  as 
Luther  affirms  ;  and,  in  the  hands  of  those  who  reject  the 
proper  Deity  of  Christ,  may  be  perverted  into  a  kind  of  ar¬ 
gument  against  the  doctrine.  But  it  is  to  be  regarded  as  a 
simple  theological  formula,  expressive  of  a  great  fact,  not 
entirely  elucidated — lying,  in  part,  to  say  the  least,  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  unknown  ;  but  a  fact,  clearly  revealed 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  namely,  that  the  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost,  constitute  the  one  true  and  living  God.  But 
we  are  interested  here  more  about  things  than  forms,  reali¬ 
ties  than  words  ;  and,  while  we  make  this  explanation,  we 
cannot  withhold  our  contempt  from  that  rash  and  irreligious 
temerity  which  sweeps  away,  sometimes,  with  a  single 
stroke  of  a  pen,  the  entire  mystery  of  this  awful  subject, 
and  maintains  that  there  is  nothing  wonderful  or  inexpli¬ 
cable  in  the  person  and  constitution  of  the  Son  of  God. 
Sceptics,  themselves,  admit  this  ;  and,  as  philosophy  be¬ 
comes  more  liberal  and  spiritual  in  its  character,  they  will 
admit  it  more  and  more.  We  have  been  surprised  and  de¬ 
lighted  to  find,  among  the  speculative  minds  of  France  and 
Germany,  those  even  whom  we  are  accustomed,  perhaps 
too  hastily,  to  term  infidels,  so  profound  a  sense  of  this 
divine  mystery,  and  so  much  readiness  to  allow  that  the 
Scriptures,  in  their  literal  and  obvious  sense,  teach  the  su¬ 
preme  Divinity  of  Christ.  As  a  single  specimen  of  this,  we 
quote  the  following  passage  from  Goethe’s  Wanderjahre. 
Speaking  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  reference  to  some  contrasts 


130 


MANIFESTATION  OF  G  0  D  . 


in  his  history,  he  says  :  “  In  life  he  appears  a  true  philoso¬ 
pher — let  not  the  expression  stagger  you— as  a  wise  man, 
in  the  highest  sense.  He  stands  firm  to  this  point ;  he  goes 
on  his  way  inflexibly,  and  while  he  exalts  the  lower  to  him¬ 
self — while  he  makes  the  ignorant,  the  poor,  the  sick,  par¬ 
takers  of  his  wisdom,  of  his  riches,  of  his  strength,  he,  on 
the  other  hand,  in  nowise  conceals  his  divine  origin ;  he 
dares  to  equal  himself  with  God ;  nay,  to  declare  that  he 
himself  is  God.”* 

Indeed,  thoughtful  men  are  beginning  to  see  that  the 
idea  of  an  incarnation  is  one  of  the  most  natural  that  can 
be  formed,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  proved,  by  his  life  alone,  to 
be  the  good ,  in  its  loftiest  and  widest  sense  ;  and  that  he 
is  the  most  appropriate  temple,  the  brightest  and  most  per¬ 
fect  manifestation  of  the  indwelling  God,  who  also  is  the 
good.  They  are  coming,  therefore,  to  the  conclusion,  that 
the  finite  must  find  the  infinite,  the  sinful  the  sinless,  by 
faith  ;  in  other  words,  by  union  with  the  Son  of  God.  This 
great  fact,  according  to  Schleiermacher,  is  the  basis  of  all 
religion.!  Jesus  the  Mediator  must  be  human  and  yet 


*  Quoted  by  Carlyle  in  his  elaborate  and  beautiful  article  on  Goethe, 
j  “But  the  question  now  comes,  how  are  we  to  realize  our  oneness  with  the  absolute; 
how  can  we  rise  to  this  high  and  holy  religious  consciousness  1  This  is  the  point  illus¬ 
trated  by  Schleiermacher,  in  his  Weihnachtsfeier,  (Christmas  Festival,)  in  which  Christ 
is  represented  as  the  perfect  union  of  the  human  consciousness  with  the  Divine ;  and 
man  exhorted,  by  a  living  union  with  him,  tc  realize  his  own  union  with  God.” 
Morell’s  History  of  Modern  Philosophy,  p.  618. 

In  a  work  just  published  in  Paris,  by  Athanase  Coquerel,  the  celebrated  French  pulpit 
orator,  generally  considered  a  Rationalist,  and  even  a  Unitarian,  under  the  title  of 
“  Christianisme ,”  or  Christianity — in  its  perfect  adaptation  to  the  Mental ,  Moral  and 
Spiritual  Mature  of  Man ,  we  find  the  following  passage :  “  To  fulfill  the  office  of  a  Sav¬ 
iour  in  a  department  of  creation,  that  is,  to  effect  a  charge  of  direction  in  an  activity, 
which  has  wandered  from  its  faith,  and  to  lead  it  towards  God,  is  to  touch  upon  the  work 


DIVINITY  Of  CHkisT. 


131 


infinite,  in  order  to  restore  the  soul  to  God.  A  God  abstract, 
a  God  absolute,  we  cannot  reach.  We  yearn  for  it,  but  we 
cannot  reach  it,  cannot  blend  with  it.  A  Mediator,  a 
Reconciler  is  needed.  God  himself  must  come  to  us — 
come  to  us  in  an  aspect  and  form  which  we  can  under¬ 
stand.  In  fact,  he  must  link  himself  to  us,  by  an  incarna¬ 
tion,  in  order  to  make  us  partakers  of  his  nature,  and  heirs 
of  his  immortality.  He  has  done  so  in  the  person  and 
work  of  Jesus  Christ.  So  that  believing  in  him,  we  find 
God, — become  one  with  God.  “  Our  life”  the  soul’s  life  in 
the  infinite  and  unending,  “  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God,  and 
when  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  we  also 
shall  appear  with  him  in  glory.”* 

of  God,  to  interfere  with  his  government,  to  draw  upon  the  infinite  in  order  to  render  as¬ 
sistance  to  the  finite.  Whence  three  consequences  result :  First,  a  redemption  would  be 
impossible  without  the  full  authorization  and  continuous  participation  of  the  Infinite 
Being.  Secondly,  the  office  of  a  Saviour  could  not  be  filled,  except  by  God  himself,  or  by 
a  being  who  was  his  representative,  the  depository  of  his  powers,  the  alter  ego  of  the  In¬ 
finite  Being,  the  ideal  realized  and  manifested.  Thirdly,  the  existence  of  a  Redeemer 
lies  without  the  limits  of  time ;  or  to  speak  more  precisely,  it  is  in  no  respects  subject  to 
that  form  of  knowledge,  to  that  law  of  succession.  In  order  to  draw  freely  upon  the 
resources,  and  to  act  upon  the  responsibility  of  the  infinite,  there  cannot  exist  between 
the  Redeemer  and  the  Infinite  that  barrier  which  we  call  time. 

“  Besides,  to  fill  the  office  of  a  Saviour  in  a  manner  subjective  or  inward  as  to  its 
results,  and  objective  or  outward  as  to  its  means,  in  a  manner  at  once  individual  and 
collective,  could  not  be  done  by  a  theory,  there  must  also  be  a  practice. 

“Finally,  the  fall  and  sin  were  those  of  human  activity,  and  human  agency  also  was 
necessary  for  restoration.  A  man  alone  could  effect  and  offer  a  human  salvation.  *  * 

“Thus  a  Redeemer  must  exhibit  a  double  character  ;  he  must  be  equally  in  his  nat¬ 
ural  place,  one  while  in  the  bosom  of  God,  at  another  in  the  midst  of  his  redeemed, 
whomsoever  they  may  be.”  Hence  he  adds.:  “  This  double  character  of  a  Redeemer  in¬ 
volves  an  impenetrable  mystery.” 

“Christ  the  God-man,”  says  Schelling,  “represented  the  complete  reunion  of  mnn 
to  God,  the  return  of  the  finite  revolted  will  to  the  infinite— a  return  which  is  shadowed 
forth  by  his  perfect  obedience.”  Morell’s  “  History  of  Philosophy,”  p.  451. 

*  It  is  on  the  views  just  stated  that  we  are  to  explain  the  words,  “  There  is  one 
God,  and  one  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus.”  Here,  so  to 
speak,  are  two  extremes,  God  and  man.  How  are  they  to  be  united  1  By  him,  who,  as 
Mediator,  is  at  once  divine  and  human,  or  the  God-man. 


132  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

Thus  while  we  may  not  understand  the  mystery  of  the 
incarnation  in  its  ontological  or  essential  relations,  we  can 
understand  it  in  those  which  are  religious  or  practical. 
From  this  source  we  form  the  clearest  and  loftiest  concep¬ 
tions  of  the  Divine  goodness  and  love.  In  this  living  and 
breathing  incarnation  of  the  Godhead,  we  see,  we  feel  the 
love,  the  purity,  the  pity  of  the  Father !  An  abstract  and 
incorporeal  Deity,  a  spirit,  all  power,  all  purity,  all  perfection, 
a  spirit  absolute,  infinite,  immortal,  is  a  grand  conception, 
well  fitted  to  expand  the  mind ;  but  to  see  that  spirit  em¬ 
bodied  in  human  form,  to  hear  him  speak  in  tones  of  com¬ 
passion,  to  behold  him  wandering  among  men,  as  their 
brother  and  friend,  to  look  upon  him  as  he  dies  for  the  guilty, 
to  see  him  u  face  to  face,”  and  feel  the  warm  breath  of  his 
boundless  love  stirring  the  responding  affection  of  our  hearts, 
is  to  form  an  idea  of  God  which  subdues  and  blesses  the 
soul.  God  in  Christ !  It  amazes — it  thrills  and  transforms 
us  !  The  material  creation,  with  its  mountains  and  seas, 
its  woods  and  streams,  its  azure  sky  and  sparkling  stars, 
exhibits  the  glory  of  God,  and  constitutes  a  silent  but  ex¬ 
pressive  revelation  of  the  truth — 

“  The  Gospel  of  the  stars,  great  nature’s  Holy  Writ.” 

But  in  the  natural  and  moral  grandeur  of  the  Son  of 
God,  in  the  entrancing  beauty  of  his  perfection,  in  the  im¬ 
measurable  compass  of  his  love,  we  behold  a  revelation  of 
the  Divine  glory,  brighter  and  more  touching  by  far.  As 
beneath  the  vesture  of  the  material  creation  the  hand  of 
God  is  seen  to  move,  so  here  beneath  the  bosom  of  Jesus 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


133 


Christ,  the  very  heart  of  God  is  seen  to  palpitate  and  burn. 
It  is  love,  boundless  and  everlasting,  leaping  out  from  the 
absolute  and  infinite,  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost ! 

“  Here  love  immortal  leaves  the  sky, 

To  wipe  the  weeping  mourner’s  eye, 

And  give  the  weary  rest !” 

But  it  is  further  objected  to  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  that  he 
himself  disavows  this  high  claim.  “  The  Father  is  greater 
than  I” — is  cited  as  a  proof  of  this ;  and  yet  the  passage 
rather  seems  to  assert,  than  disavow  his  Divinity.  That 
the  Father,  in  some  sense,  is  greater  than  the  Son,  our 
Saviour  here  teaches  ;  but  what  does  this  imply,  if  not,  that 
in  other  senses  the  Son  is  equal  with  the  Father?  We 
need  not  to  be  informed  that  a  man  or  an  angel  is  inferior  to 
God  ;  but  we  do  need  to  be  informed  that  “  the  Son  of  God,” 
“  whose  name  is  above  every  name,”  and  who  counts  it 
“no  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,”  is,  in  some  aspects  of 
his  character,  subordinate  to  the  Father.  As  Messiah,  as 
Mediator,  the  man  Jesus  Christ  yields  submission  and 
homage  to  the  Father;  but  his  indwelling  Divinity  is  one 
with  the  Father.  As  the  Mediator,  “  the  Head  of  Christ 
is  God,”  just  as  Christ,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  is  11  the 
Head  of  every  man.”  Here,  then,  in  this  very  passage, 
quoted  to  prove  the  contrary,  we  find  a  beautiful  and  con¬ 
vincing  evidence  of  our  Saviour’s  Divinity,  veiled,  indeed,  by 
his  humanity,  and  stooping,  for  a  season,  to  seek  and  to 
save  the  lost. 

Another  passage,  (St.  John,  x.  24,  29,)  frequently  quoted 

to  disprove  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  will  be  found  to  teach 

12 


134 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


the  same  great  doctrine.  In  this  passage  our  Saviour  fur¬ 
nishes  an  explanation,  touching  his  relation  to  the  Father, 
to  rebut  the  accusation  of  the  Jews,  who  charged  him  with 
a  blasphemous  assumption  of  the  Divine  prerogatives. 
“How  long,”  said  they,  “dost  thou  make  us  to  doubt?  if 
thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly.”  In  reply,  he  refers 
them  to  what  he  had  already  said  upon  the  subject,  and 
to  “  the  works”  which  he  had  performed  in  attestation 
of  his  claims.  But  he  knew  well  that  the  difficulty  lay 
not  in  any  thing  without  them,  that  is  to  say,  not  in  the 
state  of  their  understanding,  but  of  their  affections.  They 
were  not  “  of  his  sheep,”  and  “  could  not  hear  his  voice.” 
Hence  he  adds :  “  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know 
them,  and  they  follow  me  :  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal 
life  ;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  man 
pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  My  Father  which  gave  them 
me  is  greater  than  all  ;  and  no  man  is  able  to  pluck  them 
out  of  my  Father’s  hand.”  Here,  it  will  be  perceived, 
Jesus  affirms  of  himself  what  he  also  affirms  of  the  Fa¬ 
ther, — bringing  out  the  grand  truth  of  his  identity  with 
the  Father;  and  thus  claiming  to  be  the  Messiah — 
the  Son  and  representative  of  the  Father,  in  the  very  high¬ 
est  sense  of  the  words.  “  I  and  my  Father  are  one !”  is 
his  brief  and  pregnant  method  of  expressing  it.  “  Then  the 
Jews  took  up  stones  again  to  stone  him.  Jesus  answered 
them,  Many  good  works  have  I  shown  you  from  my 
Father ;  for  which  of  these  works  do  ye  stone  me  ?  The 
Jews  answered  him,  saying,  For  a  good  work  we  stone 
thee  not,  but  for  blasphemy ;  and  because  that  thou,  being  a 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


135 


man,  makest  thyself  God.  Jesus  answered  them,  Is  it  not 
written  in  your  law,  I  said  ye  are  gods  ?  If  ye  call  them 
gods  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  and  the  Scriptures 
cannot  be  broken  ;  say  ye  of  him  whom  the  Father  hath 
sent  into  the  world,  thou  blasphemest,  because  I  said,  I  am 
the  Son  of  God?  If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father, 
believe  me  not.  But  if  I  do,  though  ye  believe  me  not, 
believe  the  works  :  that  ye  may  know  and  believe  that  the 
Father  is  in  me ,  and  1  in  Him” 

Now,  what  is  it  that  our  Saviour  disclaims  in  this  pas¬ 
sage  ?  Is  it  that  he  was  not  entitled  to  be  denominated 
the  Son  of  God? — that  he  was  not  one  with  the  Father? — 
that  the  Jews  were  mistaken  as  to  the  nature  of  his  claim, 
and  that  he  was  not  therefore  Gocl  manifest  in  the  flesh  ? 
No  !  he  rather  vindicates  his  title  to  these  high  distinctions. 
It  is  true,  he  refers  to  a  case  in  which  judges  or  princes  were 
called  gods,  (Elohim.)  in  an  inferior  sense,  as  representatives 
of  God  in  matters  of  civil  government  and  justice.  But  he 
most  clearly  intimates  that  he  bore  the  title  in  a  higher  sense. 
If  they  were  called  gods  to  whom  the  word  of  God  came, 
why  say  ye  of  him,  who  is  the  anointed  Messiah,  the  sancti¬ 
fied  or  consecrated  of  the  Father,  the  Messenger  of  the  cove¬ 
nant,  the  eternal  Word,  Thou  blasphemest,  because  I  said,  I 
am  the  Son  of  God,  and  therefore  one  with  God  ?  Look  at 
my  works ;  do  they  not  prove  the  propriety  of  my  claim  ? 
Do  they  not  evince  that  “the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in 
Him?”  Is  not  this  the  meaning  of  our  Saviour,  fully 
brought  out  ?  Could  it  with  any  propriety  be  said  of  the 


136 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


ancient  judges  and  princes  of  Israel  that  they  were  one 
with  God  ?  No,  the  word  of  God  merely  came  to  them. 
Theirs  was  an  inferior  and  delegated  authority.  But  Jesus 
was  the  Word  itself, — the  very  brightness  of  the  Father’s 
glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person  ;  and  if  judges 
and  princes  bore  the  title  of  Elohim,  (God,)  with  how  much 
greater  propriety  might  Jesus  bear  it  ?  Thus,  it  must  be 
obvious  that  he  disavows  nothing,  but  rather  vindicates  the 
propriety  of  his  exalted  claims.  The  Jews  understood  it 
so ;  and  hence  is  it  added,  with  peculiar  significance, 
“  Therefore  they  sought  again  to  take  him,  but  he  escaped 
out  of  their  hands.”  With  their  views,  that  is,  deeming 
him  a  mere  man,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  believed  him 
guilty  of  blasphemy,  in  claiming  to  be  one  with  God,  and 
thence,  notwithstanding  his  explanation,  they  were  ready 
to  stone  him  to  death. 

On  another  occasion  Jesus  vindicated  the  propriety  of  his 
working  on  the  Sabbath  day,  on  the  ground  that  the  Ah 
mighty,  in  the  control  and  management  of  the  universe,  does 
the  same.  u  My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work.” 
This  was  esteemed  by  the  Jews  as  equivalent  to  the  claim 
of  supreme  Divinity.  u  Therefore  the  Jews  sought  the 
more  to  kill  him,  because  he  not  only  had  broken  the  Sab¬ 
bath,  but  said  also  that  God  was  his  Father,  making  him¬ 
self  equal  with  God.  Then  answered  Jesus  and  said  unto 
them  :  The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he 
seeth  the  Father  do.  For  the  Father  loveth  the  Son  and 
showeth  him  all  things  that  himself  doeth,  and  he  will 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


137 


show  him  greater  things  than  these,  (the  works  he  had 
just  performed,)  that  ye  may  marvel.”* 

It  is  maintained,  that  here  again  Jesus  disclaims  supreme 
Divinity.  But  we  submit  whether  this  is  not  an  obvious 
mistake  ;  for  he  seems  to  us  rather  to  affirm  his  Divinity. 
What  he  disclaims,  is  not  identity  with  God,  equality 
with  the  Father,  but  independence  of  God,  separate  exis¬ 
tence  and  authority.  The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself, \ 
that  is,  independently  of  the  Father,  or  differently  from 
the  Father.  They  are  one, — the  Son  feels  as  the  Father 
feels,  acts  as  the  Father  acts.  The  Jews  charged  Jesus 
with  setting  up  a  separate  and  exclusive  authority  ;  and 
had  he  not  been  the  Son  of  God,  and  therefore  one  with 
God,  this  charge  would  have  been  just.  He  takes  pains, 
therefore,  to  show  that  he  acted  in  connection  with  the  Fa¬ 
ther,  and  that  he  did  neither  more  nor  less  than  what  the 
Father  did.  “  For  whatsoever  things  he  doeth,  these  doeth 
the  Son  likewise.”  Then  borrowing  an  illustration  from 
what  ordinarily  occurs  between  a  father  and  a  son,  he 
says : — “  For  the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  showeth  him 
all  things  that  himself  doeth,  and  he  will  show  him  greater 
things  than  these,  that  ye  may  marvel.” 

Hence,  the  most  stupendous  works  of  the  Deity,  such 
as  quickening  the  dead,  renovating  the  heart,  and  judg¬ 
ing  the  world,  are  those  also  which  are  performed  by  the 
Son.  “For  as  the  Father  raiseth  up  the  dead  and  quick- 
eneth  them,  even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  will. 


*  John,  v.  17,  20. 
12* 


138 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


For  the  Father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all 
judgment  to  the  Son,  that  all  men  should  honor  the  So?i: 
even  as  they  honor  the  Father.  *  *  *  *  Verily,  verily 

I  say  unto  you,  the  hour  is  coming,  yea  now  is,  when  the 
dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  they  that 
hear  shall  live.  For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in  himself  so 
hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  himself. ”  How 
could  this  be  done,  except  by  uniting  the  Godhead  with  the 
humanity  of  Jesus  ?  Independent  life,  and  the  power  of 
communicating  life,  is  the  highest  and  most  essential  pre¬ 
rogative  of  God. 

Thus,  then,  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in  the  man  Jesus 
should  all  fullness  dwell : — “  in  him  dwelleth  all  ihe  fullness 
of  the  Godhead  bodily ;”  whence  he  is  the  head  over  all 
things  to  the  church.  “For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in 
himself,  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in 
himself ;  and  hath  given  him  authority  to  execute  judg¬ 
ment  also,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  man,” — because  he  is 
the  Messiah.  “  Marvel  not  at  this,”  he  adds,  “  for  the  hour 
is  coming  when  all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  shall  come  forth ; 
they  that  have  done  good,  to  the  resurrection  of  life, 
they  that  have  done  evil,  to  the  resurrection  of  damna¬ 
tion.”  But,  in  conclusion,  he  shows  that  all  this  would 
take  place  in  harmony  with  the  mind  of  the  Father,  that 
the  Son  could  do  nothing  of  himself,  that  he  must  ever 
maintain  the  single  and  supreme  authority  of  the  Father, 
and  act  in  harmony  with  the  counsels  of  his  will.  “  I  can 
of  mine  own  self  do  nothing  ;  as  I  hear,  I  judge  ;  and  my 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


139 


judgment  is  just ;  because  I  seek  not  mine  own  will,  but 
the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,"  No, — Jesus  has  no  independ¬ 
ent  and  exclusive  will,  no  separate  and  divided  interests. 
He  is  one  with  the  Father,  one  in  nature,  one  in  purpose, 
one  in  action.  And  therefore,  all  men  should  honor  the  Son , 
even  as  they  honor  the  Father. 

But  how  frequently  has  the  very  fact  of  our  Saviour’s 
condescension,  his  voluntary  “  susception  of  our  nature,” 
and  his  obedience  unto  death,  been  cited  against  the  doc¬ 
trine  of  his  proper  Divinity ;  when  all  that  the  Scriptures, 
and  all  that  orthodox  believers  affirm,  is  the  fact  of  a  vol¬ 
untary  incarnation,  or  the  assumption  by  the  Godhead  of 
an  inferior  and  suffering  nature,  with  a  view  to  the  redemp¬ 
tion  of  the  world.  It  is  the  Word,  not  the  flesh,  the  God¬ 
head,  not  the  manhood,  of  which  we  predicate  Divinity. 
The  Word  essentially  and  immutably  Divine,  “was  made 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us  ;  and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the 
glory  as  of  the  only-begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace 
and  truth.”  This,  then,  is  “  God  in  the  flesh,” — “  all  the 
fullness  of  the  Godhead,”  dwelling  bodily  in  the  man  Jesus 
Christ,  and  constituting  the  one  great  and  all-commanding 
fact,  taught  by  Apostles  and  apostolic  men.  “  That  which 
was  from  the  beginning,  which  we  have  heard,  which  we 
have  seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we  have  looked  upon,  and 
our  hands  have  handled  of  the  Word  of  Life.  For  the 
Life  was  manifested,  and  we  have  seen  it,  and  bear  witness, 
and  show  unto  you  that  eternal  Life ,  which  was  with  the 
Father,  and  was  manifested  unto  us.  That  which  we 
have  seen  and  heard  declare  we  unto  you,  that  ye  also  may 


140 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


have  fellowship  with  us  ;  and  truly  our  fellowship  is  with 
the  Father  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  And  we  know 
that  the  Son  of  God  is  come,  and  hath  given  us  an  under¬ 
standing,  that  we  may  know  him  that  is  true ;  and  we 
are  in  him  that  is  true ,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  This 
is  the  true  God  and  eternal  Life.”* 


*  1  John,  i.  1 — 3 ;  v.  20. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


We  have  more  than  once  remarked  that  the  manifesta¬ 
tion  of  God,  in  the  person  of  Christ,  is  a  mystery ;  and 
intelligent  readers,  perhaps,  have  attached  to  that  expres¬ 
sion  a  just  and  scriptural  idea.  But  the  whole  subject  of 
mystery,  and  consequently  the  mystery  of  the  Incarna¬ 
tion,  is  involved  in  unnecessary  difficulty,  by  the  prevalence 
of  inadequate  and  erroneous  views.  The  matter,  therefore, 
requires  elucidation,  as  it  is  essential  to  a  proper  and  con¬ 
sistent  idea  of  the  nature  and  mission  of  Christ.  What, 
then,  is  a  mystery  ;  and  in  what  sense;  and  to  what  extent 
does  the  manifestation  of  the  Godhead,  in  the  person  of 
Christ,  bear  this  character? 

A  mystery,  in  the  most  natural  and  obvious  signification 
of  the  term,  is  something  secret  or  hidden,  something  into 
which  it  is  necessary  to  be  initiated.  Many  things,  there¬ 
fore,  which  have  been  mysteries,  may  cease  to  bear  this 
character.  The  veil  may  be  lifted,  and  the  secrets  or 
mysteries  revealed.*  Others,  again,  may  be  only  partially 
concealed,  and  thus  lie  partly  in  the  known,  and  partly  in 


*  In  this  sense,  the  Gospel  itself  is  called  a  mystery,  particularly  in  its  application  to 
the  heathen  ;  the  Divine  intention,  in  this  respect,  having  been  obscurely  revealed,  or,  at 
least  entirely  misunderstood,  previous  to  the  advent  of  Christ. 


142 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


the  unknown.  Thus  the  sphericity  of  the  earth,  and 
the  antipodes,  though  known  to  some  extent  in  the 
middle  ages,  were  mysteries  to  those  who  lived  at  that 
time •  are  mysteries  now  to  those  upon  whom  the  light  of 
science  has  but  partially  dawned.  The  same  remark 
might  be  made  respecting  the  electric  telegraph,  which  is 
yet  a  profound  mystery  to  many  persons.  This  arises  from 
no  inherent  difficulty  in  the  subjects  themselves,  but  from 
the  partial  knowledge  of  those  who  are  compelled  to  regard 
them  as  mysteries.  They  know  something  about  them  from 
report  or  otherwise  ;  believe  their  existence,  perhaps,  on  the 
testimony  of  others,  but  they  know  them  only  as  myste¬ 
ries.  It  is  with  difficulty,  sometimes,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
sphericity  of  the  earth,  and  its  revolution  around  the  sun, 
that  they  admit  their  existence  at  all ;  for  they  appear 
contradictory  to  their  most  cherished  judgments,  nay,  to 
the  testimony  of  their  senses. 

A  mystery  is  not  an  absolute  enigma,  far  less  an  ab¬ 
surdity,  or  a  contradiction.  It  is,  simply,  something  more 
or  less  difficult  or  obscure.  In  theological  phrase,  it  is 
applied  to  those  great  truths  or  facts,  which  lie,  to  some 
extent,  in  the  region  of  the  unknown,  and  which  cannot, 
therefore,  be  fully  understood.  Something  is  known  about 
them,  but  not  enough  to  remove  all  difficulty  and  obscurity. 
They  are  apprehended,  but  not  comprehended.  One  or 
more  of  their  aspects,  one  or  more  of  their  relations  lie  in 
shadow.  They  are  known,  but  only  “  in  part.” 

A  mystery,  then,  does  not  contradict  our  reason.  It  only 
transcends  it.  It  is  a  matter  of  difficulty  and  obscurity, 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


143 


only  because  our  knowledge  is  partial  and  one-sided  ;  or 
because  our  mind  is  not  infinite  and  omniscient.  Itv  belongs 
to  a  region,  the  greater  part  of  which  has  not  been  discoy- 
ered,  far  less  explored,  and  upon  which,  therefore,  it  is  use¬ 
less  to  speculate. 

Hence,  we  remark,  that  a  mystery,  while  obscure  and 
difficult  in  some  of  its  relations,  is  not,  as  sceptics  frequently 
claim,  a  matter  upon  which  we  are  incapable  of  forming 
just  and  definite  opinions.  For  the  very  idea  of  a  mystery, 
implies  a  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  that  respecting 
which  it  is  affirmed.  Its  reality  may  be  certified  by  evi¬ 
dence,  and  its  nature  and  bearings  partly  explained.  In 
some  way,  however,  it  transcends  our  faculties.  Clear 
enough  in  part,  it  is  obscure  as  a  whole.  In  the  origin,  or 
mode  of  its  existence,  in  its  relations  to  the  infinite  and  the 
absolute,  it  is  more  or  less  above  us,  or  beyond  us,  like  a 
star,  clear  and  beautiful  in  one  of  its  phases,  but  otherwise 
hidden  in  the  depths  of  immeasurable  space. 

A  mystery  is  the  limit  of  our  present  powers,  the  goal  of 
our  investigations  and  discoveries,  the  point  at  which  our 
positive  knowledge  ceases,  and  where  commences  for  us 
the  unknown,  the  inexplicable,  the  infinite.  “  It  is  not  the 
radiant  day,  in  which  everything  appears  in  a  clear  light ; 
nor  is  it  that  profound  darkness  in  which  we  see  nothing ; 
it  is  the  twilight  of  reason  and  faith,  in  which  the  objects 
are  real  and  active,  but  at  a  distance,  seen  in  a  confused  and 
gloomy  shade,  so  that  the  sharpness  of  the  outline  is  effaced, 
the  colors  are  confounded,  and  the  objects  themselves  com¬ 
mingle  :  the  characters,  like  an  inscription,  are  read  in 


144 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


broken  words,  by  the  feeble  glimmering  of  a  sepulchral 
lamp,  alid  the  only  word  which  is  distinctly  legible  is, 
mystery  !”* 

Christianity  recognizes  mysteries  of  this  description, 
truths  partly  discovered  and  partly  unknown,  truths,  espe¬ 
cially,  which  pertain  to  the  absolute  and  the  eternal,  which 
lie  like  islands  in  that  great  ocean  of  mystery,  the  self- 
existent  and  eternal  One.  Some  of  these  truths  are  in 
themselves  inscrutable,  and  could  never  be  known,  even 
partially,  except  by  a  Divine  revelation.  Of  this  descrip¬ 
tion  is  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation — the  mystery  of  the 
Godhead,  as  revealed  in  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit.  “For  I  would,”  says  Paul,  “that  ye  knew  what 
great  conflict  I  have  for  you  and  for  them  at  Laodicea,  and 
for  as  many  as  have  not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh  ;  that 
their  hearts  might  be  comforted,  being  knit  together  in 
love,  and  unto  all  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  under¬ 
standing,  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the  mystery  of  God , 
and  of  the  Father ,  and  of  Christ ,  in  whom  are  hid  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.”  “  And  without  con¬ 
troversy,  great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness  :  God  was  mani¬ 
fest  in  the  flesh. ”f 

As  a  manifestation  of  the  Godhead,  as  a  Being  at  once 
human  and  Divine,  as  the  connecting  link  between  Heaven 
and  earth,  the  nature  and  mission  of  Jesus  would  naturally 
be  a  subject  of  difficulty  to  the  reason  and  philosophy  of 
this  world.  On  this  ground,  adds  the  Apostle,  “  Beware 


*  “Christianisme par  Athanase  Coquerel.  f  Col.  ii.  1 — 3;  1  Tim.  iii.  16. 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


145 


lest  any  man  spoil  you  through  philosophy  and  vain  deceit, 
after  the  tradition  (teaching)  of  men,  and  not  after  Christ. 
For  in  him  dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily. 
Atid  ye  are  complete  in  him,  who  is  the  head  of  all  princi¬ 
pality  and  power.”* 

In  these  expressions  is  discovered  to  us  the  grand  pecu¬ 
liarity  of  the  Christian  Faith.  It  proposes  to  unite  the  soul 
to  God,  the  great  end  of  all  religion,  by  uniting  it  to  Christ. 
For  this  purpose  it  presents  Christ  to  us,  as  the  sum  and 
essence  of  all  goodness,  the  source  and  fountain  of  all  wis¬ 
dom  and  grace,  and  thence  made  unto  those  who  believe, 
wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption  ;  as 
a  Being,  therefore,  to  be  loved,  revered  and  adored.  This 
we  call  a  mystery  ;  but  not  a  mystery  entirely  unknown 
or  unnatural  in  any  way.  Nay,  it  is  precisely  what  we 
might  expect.  It  is,  certainly,  what  we  need.  For  re¬ 
ligion,  in  its  true  sense,  is  not  so  much  a  doctrine  as  a  life.f 
Moreover,  it  is  a  life  in  the  infinite  and  eternal ;  in  other 
words,  a  life  in  God.  Hence  we  cannot  be  saved  by  bare 
beliefs,  traditions,  or  externalities  of  any  kind.  No  system, 
however  perfect  and  magnificent,  can  save  us.  We  are 
estranged  from  God,  and  must  return  to  God,  in  order  to 
live,  j  But  how  shall  the  finite,  above  all,  how  shall  the 


*  Coloss.  ii.  8. 

t  Doubtless  it  is  both.  The  doctrine  or  the  truth,  apprehended  by  the  mind,  and 
received  by  the  heart,  produces  the  life,  and  the  life  sustains  the  doctrine.  They  act 
and  react  upon  each  other.  The  doctrine,  indeed,  may  exist  without  the  life,  but  not 
the  life  without  the  doctrine.  To  have  light  and  heat,  you  need  the  sun.  To  have 
spiritual  life,  which  is  holy  love,  you  must  have  the  truth,  which  is  the  knowledge  of 
God  in  Jesus  Christ.  “  Fnitli  worketh  by  love.” 

$  “Life  only  can  produce  life.” — Vinet.  To  which  we  add,  God  only  can  repro¬ 
duce  his  own  image.  Union  with  God  is  the  soul’s  life. 

13 


146 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


fallen  and  the  lost,  reach  God,  but  by  the  intervention  of 
God  himself?  How  shall  we  become  one  with  him, 
unless,  somehow,  he  make  himself  one  with  us  ?  But  tl^| 
Gospel  invites  us  to  Christ.  One  with  him,  we  are  (5ne 
with  God.  “  No  man,’’  says  he,  “  cometh  unto  the  Father 
but  by  me.”  u  He  that  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die.” 
It  is  only  in  this  way  that,  practically  and  experimentally, 
we  come  to  the  knowledge  of  God.  “  This  is  life  eternal 
to  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom 
thou  hast  sent.” 

But  how  shall  God  become  incarnate  ?  How  unite 
himself  with  a  finite  form  ?  Above  all,  how  shall  he  suf¬ 
fer  in  that  finite  form?  How  shall  the  just  be  as  the 
unjust — the  sinless ,  as  the  sinful — the  ever-blessed  and 
eternal,  as  the  crucified  and  slain  ?  Ah !  these  are  the  secrets, 
the  mysteries  which  baffle  the  profoundest  intellects,  and 
leave  the  mission  of  Jesus  in  a  sacred  obscurity.  Yet, 
light  is  gleaming  through  the  cloud ;  and  philosophy 
itself  can  discern  its  beauty  and  glory.  If  ever  God  mani¬ 
fested  himself  in  all  the  splendor  of  his  infinite  perfection, 
it  was  in  the  life  and  character  of  Christ.  Long  were  the 
heavens  covered  with  shadows  ;  but  they  opened  at  last, 
and,  through  the  rent,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  poured 
his  radiance  upon  the  world.  But  that  Sun  is  too  bright, 
and  stretches  too  far  into  the  depths  above  us,  to  be  nar¬ 
rowly  scanned  by  human  eyes.  It  involves  a  dread  and 
fathomless  mystery. 

We  say,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
incarnation,  or  of  the  Godhead  of  Christ,  cannot  be  fully 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


147 


comprehended ;  nor  is  it  meant  to  be  comprehended,  except 
by  the  affections.  If  the  intellect  does  not  quite  understand 
it,  we  are  sure  the  heart  does — clinging  to  Christ,  as  brother, 
Saviour,  friend — and  not  only  so,  but  as  Master  and  Sove¬ 
reign.  If  reason  has  a  limit  and  a  difficulty  here,  the  heart 
has  none.  Nay,  this  great  mystery  has  solved  all  other 
difficulties  with  which  the  heart  has  long  struggled  in 
darkness  and  sorrow,  opening  up  for  it  a  luminous  and 
blessed  pathway  to  God  and  glory.  Here  it  has  found — 
what  it  long  sought  in  vain — the  infinite,  the  perfect  and 
immortal. 

Certainly  a  great  mystery  attaches  to  the  incarnation 
of  Christ — using  the  word  in  its  ordinary  signification — and 
the  nature  of  that  intimate  and  glorious  union,  subsisting 
between  him  and  a  believing  soul.  For,  to  be  a  believer,  a 
man  must  not  simply  admit  the  teaching  of  Christ,  or  the 
morality  of  Christ ;  he  must  not  only  believe  Christianity 
as  a  fact,  and  Jesus  Christ  as  a  man,  as  a  teacher,  or  re¬ 
former,  or  even  as  the  God-man ;  but  he  must  believe  in 
Christ,  that  is  to  say,  his  heart  and  soul  must  be  so  united, 
so  wedded  and  assimilated  to  Christ,  that  it  may  be  truly 
said,  that  he  is  in  Christ ,  and  Christ  in  him.  It  is  only 
thus  that  he  can  be  transformed  into  the  same  image,  from 
glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ;  only  thus 
that  he  can  comprehend  “  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this 
mystery,  which,”  says  the  Apostle,  “  is  Christ  in  you  the 
hope  of  glory.”* 


*  Colos6.  i.  27. 


148 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


But  the  difficulty  to  the  intellect  is  not  greater  than  is 
found  in  a  thousand  things  beside — things,  too,  which  all 
men  instantly  admit.  Indeed,  there  are  no  subjects,  whether 
in  the  science  of  matter  or  of  mind,  which  are  not  environed 
with  difficulties.  Inquiries  can  be  started  upon  all  matters 
of  abstract  and  philosophical  speculation,  beyond  the  grasp 
of  the  finite  intellect ;  nay,  more,  a  child  can  ask  questions 
about  himself,  or  about  the  world  around  him,  which  baffle 
the  profoundest  thinkers.  “  A  grain  of  sand,”  says  the 
philosophical  Vinet,  “is  an  abyss.”  Every  thing,  indeed, 
in  the  whole  range  of  animate  and  inanimate  nature,  is  as¬ 
sociated  directly  or  indirectly  with  mysteries  ;  every  ques¬ 
tion  in  philosophy  and  morals  can  be  run  up  to  some  insu¬ 
perable  difficulty,  where  the  intellect  must  stop  and  confess 
its  ignorance.  Light  and  darkness,  knowledge  and  mys¬ 
tery  are  associated  in  all  the  speculations  of  the  finite 
mind.  The  day  rests  in  the  bosom  of  night.  The  stars 
are  set  in  a  firmament  of  gloom. 

Our  knowledge,  so  far  as  it  goes,  may  be  definite,  and 
the  language  in  which  it  is  expressed,  clear  and  intel¬ 
ligible  ;  yet  that  knowledge,  like  the  segment  of  an  infinite 
circle,  links  itself,  at  all  points,  to  mysteries.  Facts  may 
be  ascertained,  and  constantly  recognized,  in  the  ordinary 
avocations  of  life ;  but,  as  to  their  origin  and  mode  of  ex¬ 
istence,  we  may  be  plunged  in  the  deepest  ignorance.  Fur¬ 
thermore,  some  of  these  facts  may  appear  to  involve  contra¬ 
dictions,  and  give  rise  to  inquiries,  before  which  the  mightiest 
intellects  fall  prostrate.  The  science  of  mathematics,  even, 
involves  the  infinite,  and,  in  some  cases,  the  impossible  !  It 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


149 


recognizes  this  sublime  contradiction,  that  there  may  be  two 
lines  which  ever  approach,  but  never  meet,  and,  finally, 
loses  itself  in  the  boundless  depths  of  the  “infinitesimal 
calculus.”  If  chemistry  does  not  involve,  it  certainly  sug¬ 
gests  the  infinite.  It  has  its  agents  imponderable  and  uni¬ 
versal  ;  its  permanent  basis,  or  substance,  (id  quod  stat  per 
se,)  in  which  all  physical  qualities  adhere ;  its  infinite 
divisibility  of  body,  with  its  definite  and  immutable  atoms. 
What  is  matter? — what  its  essence  and  mode  of  existence? 
— what  its  origin  and  its  end  ?  How  does  it  link  itself  to 
spirit,  and  how  can  it  give  and  receive  impressions  and  mo¬ 
tions  ?  It  seems  essentially  diverse  from  spirit,  and  yet 
they  act  and  re-act  upon  each  other.  Matter,  as  it  exists 
in  space  and  time,  the  product  of  an  infinite  mind,  “  from 
whom  are  all  things,”  is  one  of  the  profoundest  mysteries 
that  has  ever  engaged  the  attention  of  thoughtful  men. 
What,  moreover,  is  mind — spirit,  especially  as  uncreated  and 
eternal  ?  What  is  our  own  mind,  that  mysterious  some¬ 
thing,  which  thinks,  and  feels,  and  wills,  and  suffers,  and 
rejoices  ?  What  are  its  nature  and  essence,  its  mode  of  ex¬ 
istence,  its  ineffable  relation  to  God,  and  the  creation  around 
it  ?  What,  even,  is  the  union  of  body  and  soul  ?  How  are 
they  linked,  and  what  strange  power  causes  them  to  act  in 
harmony  ?  “  Whence,”  to  use  the  language  of  Chateau¬ 

briand,  “  that  flash  of  lightning  which  we  call  existence, 
and  in  what  night  is  it  to  be  extinguished  ?  The  Almighty 
has  placed  birth  and  death,  under  the  form  of  veiled  phan¬ 
toms,  at  the  two  extremities  of  our  career — the  one  pro- 

13* 


150 


MANIFESTATION  "OF  GOD. 


duces  the  incomprehensible  moment  of  life,  which  the  other 
hastens  to  devour.”* 

So  far,  indeed,  has  speculation  upon  these  high  themes 
led  philosophers,  that  they  have  found  themselves  com¬ 
pelled  to  deny  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect ;  nay,  the 
very  existence  of  matter,  as  an  objective  reality,  maintain¬ 
ing  there  can  be  nothing  in  the  universe  but  mind  or 
spirit,  and  that  all  material  substances,  and  the  changes 
of  which  they  are  susceptible,  are  only  forms  and  phantoms 
of  the  all-embracing  mind.  Others,  again,  pressed  with  a 
similar  difficulty,  but  starting  from  different  premises,  and 
especially  from  the  position  that  all  our  ideas  are  either  de¬ 
rived  from  external  objects,  or  greatly  modified  by  them, 
have  denied  the  existence  of  mind  or  spirit,  and  have  re¬ 
ferred  all  the  modifications  of  thought  and  feeling  to  the 
organization  and  action  of  material  forms.  This  class  of 
philosophers  have  imagined  the  possibility  of  elucidating 
and  harmonizing  all  subjects  of  human  inquiry.  Sitting, 
so  to  speak,  at  the  centre  of  the  universe,  and  with  minds 
of  infinite  grasp  and  range,  they  feel  that  the  whole  thing, 
past,  present,  and  to  come,  is  under  their  immediate  eye. 
Mystery,  in  their  creed,  is  an  exploded  idea.  They  must 
never  take  any  thing  for  granted — must  never  confess  their 
ignorance — never  own  the  existence  of  a  mystery.  So, 
plunging  into  the  boundless  ocean  of  thought,  without 
chart  or  compass,  and  swept  onward  and  afar  by  the  resist¬ 
less  force  of  invisible  currents,  they  soon  lose  themselves 


*  Oeuvres  Completes.  Genie  Du  Christianisme.  Tome  III.,  p.  6. 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


151 


amid  tempest  and  darkness,  and  sink,  at  last,  in  the  fathom¬ 
less  abyss. 

Thus,  by  the  rejection  of  all  mystery,  and  speculating 
beyond  the  range  of  the  human  mind,  multitudes,  even  of 
acute  and  learned  men,  have  succeeded  in  denying  the  ex¬ 
istence  both  of  matter  and  of  mind,  the  being  and  person¬ 
ality  of  God,  the  reality  of  the  soul,  and  the  reality  of  the 
body ;  so  that  the  perfection  and  end  of  all  philosophy  has 
been  their  arrival,  according  to  some  of  the  philosophers  of 
the  Hegelian  school,  at  absolute  nothing! 

Such  are  the  boasted  achievements  of  a  philosophy  which 
begins  by  rejecting  all  mysteries,  and  ends  by  making  every 
thing  a  mystery,  absolute  and  fathomless — a  mystery  darker 
than  the  grave,  and  boundless  as  eternity. 

But  if  these  things  occur  in  human  science,  what  may 
we  not  expect  in  divine  ?  If  man  is  a  mystery,  what  is 
God  ?  If  the  life  that  now  is  presents  enigmas  and  secrets 
the  most  profound  and  awful,  what  shall  we  find  in  u  the 
life  to  come  ?”  If  with  propriety  we  can  say,  Great  is  the 
mystery  of  nature,  mind  is  manifest  in  matter ,  may  we  not, 
with  still  greater  propriety  exclaim,  Great  is  the  mystery  of 
godliness ,  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh? 

Relations  and  modes  of  existence  lie  concealed  in  the 
immeasurable  depths  of  nature,  never  dreamt  of  in  our  insu¬ 
lated  and  short-lived  philosophy.  V  ast  fields  of  thought 
stretch  into  infinitude  and  eternity,  beyond  the  ken  of  man, 
or  of  angel.  The  universe,  even,  as  an  outward  thing, 
a  matter  of  space  and  time,  of  limited  forms  and  temporary 
duration,  has  itself  been  termed  “  an  infinite  mystery.” 


152 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


And  if  this  be  true  of  the  creature,  what  shall  we  say  of 
the  Creator1?  a  Canst  thou,  by  searching,  find  out  God? 
Canst  thou  find  out  the  Almighty  to  perfection  ?  It  is  high 
as  heaven  ;  what  canst  thou  do  ?  Deeper  than  hell ;  what 
canst  thou  know  ?  The  measure  thereof  is  longer  than  the 
earth,  and  broader  than  the  sea.”  The  visible  and  mate¬ 
rial  around  us,  boundless  as  it  seems,  is  but  the  shadow  of 
God.  u  Lo,  these  are  a  part  of  his  ways  ;  but  the  thunder 
(the  secret)  of  his  power,  who  can  understand  ?”  An  old 
divine  looking  into  this  subject,  and  catching  but  a  dim 
outline  of  the  Divine  glory,  could  only  exclaim,  in  adoring 
rapture,  u  O,  the  depths  !  O,  the  depths  !” 

We  have  some  experience  of  the  nature  and  constitu¬ 
tion  of  man ;  what  have  we  of  the  nature  and  constitution 
of  God?  We  have  some  imperfect  acquaintance  with 
modes  of  existence  in  time ;  what  have  we  of  modes  of 
existence  in  eternity  ?  Can  we  reason  from  the  one  to  the 
other  dogmatically  ?  Can  we  find  adequate  analogies  be¬ 
tween  them  ?  Man  is  the  creature,  God  is  the  Creator. 
Man  is  dependent  and  changeable,  God  is  independent  and 
changeless.  Man  is  finite,  God  is  infinite.  Man  is  con¬ 
fined  to  a  particular  sphere,  God  inhabits  eternity.  Man 
looks  out  upon  all  things,  and  receives  constantly  accre¬ 
tions  of  thought  and  feeling ;  God  holds  all  things  in  him¬ 
self,  and  sheds  upon  them  beauty  and  glory.  u  In  him  we 
live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being.”  True,  indeed,  man 
was  created  in  the  image  of  God,  but  this  has  reference  to 
his  intellectual  and  moral  nature,  his  power  of  self-con¬ 
sciousness  and  self-control,  his  sense  of  right  and  wrong, 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


153 


with  his  susceptibility  of  pure  and  spiritual  joy ;  but  not 
to  his  essence  or  the  mode  of  his  existence.  For,  while 
man  is  a  moral  and  responsible  agent,  he  is  neither  God 
nor  a  part  of  God.  He  is  a  creature  formed  by  God,  and 
therefore  altogether  distinct  from  God.  Man  has  the 
sense  of  the  infinite,  but  he  is  not  himself  infinite.  He  can 
blend  with  the  infinite,  but  can  never  fully  comprehend 
it — never  fully  embrace  it.  His  joy,  therefore,  may  increase 
forever,  but  it  is  derived  and  dependent.  Pure  and  spiritual, 
ever-blessed  and  immortal  he  may  become ;  but  he  owes 
the  whole  to  “  the  Father  of  spirits,”  u  who  only  hath 
immortality.”  Poetry,  indeed,  has  sometimes  taught  a 
different  lesson,  and  a  transcendental,  imaginative  philoso¬ 
phy  has  endorsed  it.  But  reason  does  not ;  the  Bible  does 
not.  Common  sense  does  not.  The  thing,  in  fact,  in¬ 
volves  a  contradiction.  Man  can  neither  be  God  nor  part 
of  God  ;  for  God  is  not  made  up  of  parts.  Division,  multi¬ 
plication,  or  abstraction,  cannot  be  predicated  of  his  es¬ 
sence.  Infinite  being  can  neither  be  increased  nor  dimin¬ 
ished,  multiplied  nor  divided.  His  essence  and  mode  of 
existence  must  be  peculiar  and  exclusive.  Nothing  in  the 
universe  can  bear  to  it  any  just  analogy.  Man  is  the 
image  of  his  intelligent  and  moral  nature  ;  an  image,  when 
perfect,  clearer  and  more  beautiful  than  all  the  stars  of 
light ;  but  he  is  not  an  image  of  the  Divine  essence  and 
mode  of  existence.  This  may  be  known  as  a  fact,  vast 
and  unutterable,  but  it  transcends  all  our  reason  and  un¬ 
derstanding.  It  is  high  as  heaven — what  can  we  do? 
Deeper  than  hell  ;  what  can  ice  knoic  ?  On  this  subject 


154 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


we  have  neither  data,  means  of  comparison  and  judgment, 
nor  appropriate  powers  of  investigation.  Logic  and  calcu¬ 
lation  equally  fail  us  ;  science  pauses  in  reverence  and 
godly  fear.  Philosophy  cannot  aid  us  in  a  case  like  this ; 
for  her  range  is  limited  by  the  capacities  of  the  finite  mind. 
She  may  discover  and  recognize  the  infinite,  but  she  can¬ 
not  fathom  it.  She  can  neither  analyse  its  nature,  nor 
solve  its  mystery.  Natural  science  cannot  aid  us,  for 
her  true  province  is  confined  to  the  outward  and  the  phe¬ 
nomenal.  She  tells  us  of  relations  and  changes,  of  quan¬ 
tities  and  forms,  of  attributes  and  affections,  and  intimates, 
as  her  last  result,  that  these  belong  to  beings,  or  substances, 
or  what  she  chooses  to  denominate  such  ;  but  she  does  not 
even  pretend  to  enter  the  infinite,  and  explain  the  natures 
and  essences  of  things.  Upon  their  absolute  constitution, 
and  essential  mode  of  existence,  she  is  dumb  as  the  grave. 
Nor  can  the  spiritual  or  transcendental  philosophy  aid  us ; 
for  while  she  professes  to  construct  a  bridge  from  the  phe¬ 
nomenal  to  the  actual,  the  relative  to  the  absolute,  the 
finite  to  the  infinite,  she  cannot  tell  what  the  actual ,  the 
absolute ,  the  infinite ,  really  is.  To  her,  it  is  nothing  more 
than  a  grand  ineffable  reality ,  perhaps  possibility ,  accord¬ 
ing  to  Kant,  with  august  and  overwhelming  attributes  of 
power,  intelligence,  and  will,  and  it  may  be  of  purity  and 
love  ;  but  further  than  this  she  cannot  tell  what  it  is,  or 
how  it  is.  Here  we  find  the  limits  of  our  power,  and  like 
that  old  and  reverent  Divine,  can  only  cry  out,  “  O,  the 
depths  !  O,  the  depths  !”* 


*  In  an  address  to  the  Deity,  whom  he  denominates  “  the  Exalted  and  Living  Will,  the 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


155 


We  are  so  constituted  as  to  believe  that  every  event 
must  have  a  cause — that  every  quality  must  have  a  basis, 
that  over  against  phenomena,  there  must  be  substance— 
over  against  relations,  absolute  existence — over  against  the 
finite,  the  infinite — over  against  multiplicity  and  change) 
absolute  unity  and  permanent  being  ;  in  other  words,  an 
infinite,  self-existing  God,  the  cause  of  all  things,  the 
Creator  of  the  Heavens  and  Earth.  From  the  very  consti¬ 
tution  of  our  minds,  we  must  maintain  the  unity,  the  per* 
feet,  absolute,  unalterable  unity  of  such  a  being.  To  us, 
in  this  respect,  there  can  be  only  “one  God.”  But  what 
distinctions  and  peculiarities  exist  in  that  unity,  or  in  the 
manifestation  of  that  unity,  are  questions  utterly  beyond 
us.  Whether  there  is  not  in  the  very  nature  of  God  him¬ 
self,  some  basis  for  a  manifestation  of  himself  as  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  cannot  tell 
The  Scriptures  may  indicate  such  a  basis,  but  we  cannot 
explain  it.  The  subject  is  one  upon  which  reason  is  in¬ 
competent  to  say  a  word.  Here  it  has  approached  the 
region  of  mystery,  and  must  pause  until  God  reveal 
himself. 

Whatever,  then,  ha§  been  revealed  upon  this  subject  in  a 
well  authenticated  Revelation,  must  be  received  with  im- 


Incomprehensible  and  everlasting  One,’*  the  philosopher  Fichte  uses  this  remarkable 
language:  “  What  I  understand,  is  from  my  very  understanding  it,  finite,  and  by  no 
progression,  can  ever  be  transformed  into  the  infinite.  Thou  differest  from  the  finite, 
not  in  degree,  but  in  kind.  I  will  not  attempt  that  which  my  finite  nature  forbids.  I 
will  not  seek  to  know  the  nature  and  essence  of  thy  being.  But  thy  relations  to  my¬ 
self  and  to  all  that  is  finite,  lie  open  before  my  eyes.  Thou  createdst  in  me  the  con¬ 
sciousness  of  my  duty — of  my  destination  in  the  series  of  rational  beings  ;  how,  I  know 
not,  nor  need  I  know.” — Bestimmung  dcs  Menschen. 


156 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD, 


plicit  submission,  however  difficult  or  mysterious,  however 
contrary  to  our  preconceived  opinions,  however  repulsive  to 
our  ordinary  habits  of  thinking  and  reasoning.  A  contra¬ 
diction,  of  course,  we  cannot  receive ;  but  a  mystery  we 
can  and  must.  I  may  know  in  general  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  God  incarnate,  but  how  he  is  such  may  baffle  all  my  in¬ 
quiries.  My  heart  seizes  the  ineffable  idea,  and  exults 
under  its  influence ;  but  my  intellect  cannot  penetrate  it, 
far  less  explain  it.  All  that  can  be  said  upon  the  subject 
is,  And  without  controversy  great  is  the  mystery  of  god¬ 
liness,  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh.” 

But  it  has  been  complacently  said,  that  “  religion  ends 
where  mystery  begins.”  The  antithesis  is  striking,  but  the 
sentiment  is  false.  For  as  has  been  justly  remarked,  you 
might  as  well  say  that  traveling  ends  where  the  sea  begins. 
Nay,  we  go  further,  and  maintain  that  religion  cannot  exist 
without  mystery.  A  religion  without  a  mystery  is  a  reli¬ 
gion  without  a  soul,  a  religion  without  an  hereafter,  a  reli¬ 
gion  without  a  God  !  When  we  have  discarded  the  Divinity 
and  incarnation  of  Christ,  the  expiation  on  the  cross,  and 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  we  have  not  rid  the  subject 
of  mysteries,  mysteries  as  profoemd  and  inscrutable  as 
those  we  have  rejected.  Nay,  let  a  man  become  an  utter 
atheist,  and  he  surrounds  himself  with  a  darkness  more 
deep  and  terrible,  a  darkness  illumined  by  no  stars,  followed 
by  no  dawn.  He  multiplies  the  secrets  of  nature  a  thou¬ 
sand  fold,  and  loses  himself  in  the  abyss  of  a  horrible  and 
everlasting  mystery. 

Had  Christianity  been  a  system  without  a  mystery,  no 


[NCA11NATI0W  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


157 


thoughtful  man  could  believe  it.  Every  such  man,  hun¬ 
gering  after  the  perfect  and  the  eternal,  must  rejoice  that 
faith  and  adoration  can  advance,  where  science  and  philoso¬ 
phy  are  compelled  to  pause.  Sometimes,  nay,  during  his 
whole  life,  he  may  walk  in  darkness,  but  the  stars  are  over¬ 
head,  and  the  dawn  of  everlasting  day  is  yet  to  break  upon 
his  vision.  In  the  Gospel  there  are  mysteries ;  but  how 
magnificent  and  thrilling  !  Shadows,  but  shadows  from  the 
infinite,  shadows  gloriously  penetrated  with  light  supernal. 
How  profound  the  secret  of  the  Godhead,  especially  of  the 
Godhead  incarnate  ;  but  how  august,  how  beautiful !  Dark, 
indeed,  but  dark  from  excess  of  light ;  and  it  is  only  in  low 
liness  and  adoration  we  can  see  it,  or  feel  it,  in  its  all-trans- 
forming  power.  The  highest  intellects  have  adored  it! 
Millions  upon  millions  have  trembled  with  joy,  under  its  in¬ 
fluence.  In  the  night  of  time,  these  voyagers,  storm-driven 
upon  the  ocean  of  life,  have  looked  up  into  the  infinite 
depths  above  them,  and  beheld  “that  glory-beaming  star,” 
radiant  as  at  the  first,  when  it  was  hymned  by  the  angels 
on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  and  under  its  guidance  have 
passed  on,  through  tempest  and  darkness,  to  the  haven  of 
everlasting  rest.  Here,  as  in  the  case  of  Francis  Junius, 
mentioned  by  Scaliger  as  one  of  the  greatest  scholars  of 
his  age,  who  was  recovered  from  absolute  atheism  by  a 
clear  and  sudden  view  of  the  glory  of  Christ,  for  the  first 
time  have  they  found  the  Light  and  the  Life  of  the  world, 
and  under  its  influence,  have  been  changed  into  the  same 
image  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the 

14 


158 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


Lord.  “  Thou,  Lord  my  God,”  exclaims  Junius,  u  didst 
remember  me,  and  receive  me,  a  lost  sheep,  into  thy  fold !” 

Merle  D’  Aubigne,  when  a  young  man,  a  student  in  Ger¬ 
many,  was  much  perplexed  by  scriptural  doubts  and  diffi¬ 
culties.  To  have  them  removed,  he  applied  to  the  venerable 
and  learned  Kleuker  of  Kiel.  But  the  old  doctor  would  not 
enter  into  any  detailed  solution  of  these  difficulties.  “  Were 
I  to  succeed  in  ridding  you  of  them,”  said  he  to  me,  “  others 
would  soon  arise.  There  is  a  shorter,  deeper,  more  com¬ 
plete  way  of  annihilating  them.  Let  Christ  be  really  to 
you  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour,  the  Author  of  eternal  life. 
Only  be  firmly  settled  in  his  grace,  and  then  these  difficul¬ 
ties  of  detail  will  never  stop  you :  the  light  which  pro¬ 
ceeds  from  Christ  will  disperse  your  darkness.”  “  The  old 
Divine,”  says  D’ Aubigne,  “had  shown  me  the  way:  I 
saw  it  was  the  right  one,  but  to  follow  it,  was  a  hard  task. 
God,  who  had  already  revealed  to  me  the  glory  of  his  well- 
beloved  Son,  did  not  forsake  me ;  but  he  used  another 
agency  to  bring  me  to  the  work  which  had  been  pointed 
out.” 

Studying  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  with  two  of  his 
young  companions,  one  of  whom  possessed  a  peculiarly 
lofty,  pure  and  devotional  spirit,  and  died  in  early  life,  he 
came  to  that  passage  :  “  Now  unto  him  who  is  able  to  do 
exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us,  unto  him  be  glory,” 
&c.  The  expression  in  italics  fell  upon  his  spirit  like  a 
new  revelation.  They  all  knelt  in  prayer ;  and  their 
supplication,  deep  and  thrilling,  penetrated  the  heavens. 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


159 


K  When  I  arose  in  that  room  at  Kiel,”  says  D’Aubigne,  “  I 
felt  as  if  my  wings  were  renewed  as  the  wings  of  eagles. 
From  that  time  forward  I  comprehended  that  my  own  syllo¬ 
gisms  and  efforts  were  of  no  avail,  that  Christ  was  able  to 
do  all  “  by  his  power  that  worketh  in  us  ;  and  the  habitual 
attitude  of  my  soul  was  to  lie  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.” 
Soon,  all  his  doubts  were  dispelled ;  he  was  not  only  deliv¬ 
ered  from  anguish,  but  the  Lord  extended  to  him  “  peace 
like  a  river.”  Then  he  could  “  comprehend  with  all  saints, 
what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and  heighth,  and 
know  the  love  of  God  which  passeth  knowledge.”  Then 
was  he  able  to  say,  “  Return  unto  thy  rest,  O,  my  soul,  for 
the  Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee.”* 

If  an  inquirer  could  only  get  out  of  himself,  out  of  his 
own  narrowness  and  littleness,  and  gain  one  clear,  steady 
view  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus,  he  would  no 
longer  doubt  the  mystery  of  the  incarnation.  It  would 
justify  itself,  not  only  to  his  affections,  but  to  his  highest 
reason.  His  whole  nature,  heart  and  intellect,  would  re¬ 
joice  in  it  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  “  Let  a 
man,”  says  Cecil,  u  read  Maclaurin’s  sermon  on  the  Cross 
of  Christ,  and  enter  into  the  subject  with  taste  and  relish, 
what  beggary  is  the  world  to  him.  The  subject  is  so  high 
and  so  glorious,  that  a  man  must  go  out  of  himself,  as  it 
were,  to  apprehend  it.  The  Apostle  had  such  a  view, 
when  he  said,  1 1  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency 
of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord.’  I  remem- 


*  “  Germany,  England  and  Scotland,”  pp.  19,  20. 


160 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


ber  the  time,  even  after  I  became  really  serious  in  religion, 
when  I  could  not  understand  what  St.  Paul  meant — not  by 
setting  forth  the  glory  of  Christ,  but  by  talking  of  it  in 
such  hyperbolical  terms,  and  always  dwelling  upon  the 
subject :  whatever  topic  he  began  on,  I  saw  that  he  could 
not  but  glide  into  the  same  subject.  But  I  now  understand 
why  he  did  so,  and  wonder  no  more ;  for  there  is  no  other 
subject  comparatively  worthy  of  our  thoughts,  and  there¬ 
fore  it  is  that  advanced  Christians  dwell  on  little  else.  I 
am  persuaded  that  the  whole  world  becomes  vain  and 
empty  to  a  man  in  proportion  as  he  enters  into  living  views 
of  Jesus  Christ.”*  And  what  is  this  but  saying  precisely 
what  all  the  primitive  disciples  said  again  and  again : 
u  Whom  having  not  seen  we  love,  in  whom,  though  now 
we  see  him  not,  yet  believing  in  him,  we  rejoice  with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory?” 

But  we  believe  that  the  mystery  of  the  incarnation,  or 
the  manifestation  of  God  in  the  person  of  Christ,  can  be 
justified  not  only  to  the  affections,  but  to  the  intellect.  Al¬ 
lowing,  in  the  first  instance,  that  there  is  a  difficulty  here, 
as  there  is  in  innumerable  truths  of  a  similar  kind,  it  will 
require  no  effort  to  receive  it  either  as  a  fact  or  as  a 
doctrine. 

In  the  first  place,  it  meets  a  certain  inherent  want,  not 
merely  of  our  moral,  but  of  our  mental  constitution.  The 
mind  can  never  be  satisfied  with  abstractions  ;  it  demands 
living  realities.  To  understand  such  abstractions  it  must 


*  Cecil’s  Works,  Vol.  I,  p.  50, — It.  Carter’s  Edition 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


161 


see  them  in  their  concrete  form.  What  we  call  the  con- 
ceptive  or  imaginative  part  of  our  nature,  blends  in  all  the 
workings  of  the  intellect.  The  perfect  union  of  the  two 
gives  us  the  highest  mental  power.  We  require  not  merely 
to  know  the  truth,  but  to  conceive  it,  to  represent  it  to  our 
minds,  and  thus  make  it  our  own.  This  process  enters  into 
faith,  often  described  as  the  eye  of  the  soul,  which  discerns 
the  invisible.  But  faith  is  much  more  than  an  eye ;  it  is  a 
power,  to  some  extent  creative ;  being  “  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen,  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for.”  The 
things  believed  have  a  reality  without  us,  but  can  have  no 
reality  within  us,  until  believed,  or  so  strongly  conceived, 
as  to  become  substance,  not  only  without  but  within.  But 
abstractions,  which  are  often  little  more  than  logical  or 
mathematical  forms,  can  never  possess  this  substantial  or 
living  character.  They  cannot  fill  and  satisfy  the  mind. 
To  be  really  conceived  and  loved,  the  truth  must  be  em¬ 
bodied.  Beauty,  goodness,  truth,  love,  have  scarce  an  ex¬ 
istence  for  us  until  they  are  incarnated  in  forms  that  breathe 
and  burn.  Figures  and  symbols  of  every  description,  es¬ 
pecially  those  which  may  be  said  to  be  alive,  are  connatu¬ 
ral  to  the  human  mind.  It  must  have  them  or  perish. 
Language  itself  is  but  the  embodiment  of  truth  by  means 
of  inanimate  signs  or  sjunbols.  We  require,  however,  more 
than  words  adequately  to  express  great  principles.  We 
wish  to  see  them  alive  and  active.  Idolatry,  so  universal, 
is  but  the  abuse  of  this  principle.  It  substitutes  mean  and 
degrading  symbols  of  the  Divinity  for  those  which  are  true 

and  elevating.  It  also  confounds  the  symbol  with  the  thing 

1 4* 


162 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


symbolized,  and  thus  adores  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator. 

The  whole  material  universe,  in  its  unity,  harmony  and 
grandeur,  is  but  a  symbol  or  embodiment  of  God.  Form 
and  movement  everywhere  indicate  spirit  and  power.  Here 
the  thoughts  of  God  assume  a  concrete  shape.  We  see 
them  in  the  heavens  above,  and  in  the  earth  beneath.  The 
material  creation  is  thence  a  striking  manifestation  of  the 
infinite  Mind.  But  it  is  inanimate — it  cannot  feel ;  it  can¬ 
not  speak.  It  makes  no  response  to  our  inquiries,  yields  no 
sympathy  to  our  emotions.  In  a  word,  it  has  neither  intel¬ 
lect  nor  heart.  Some  living  form,  then,  is  needed  to  give 
full  expression  or  embodiment  to  the  Divine  character.  It 
may  be  said,  perhaps,  that  this  want  is  supplied  in  man, 
the  noblest  image  or  symbol  of  the  Almighty.  Yes,  but 
man  has  fallen ;  man  everywhere  is  imperfect ;  “  there  is 
none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one.”  The  temple  is  beauti¬ 
ful,  but,  alas !  it  is  in  ruins.  The  indwelling  Divinity  is 
gone  !  All  is  silence  and  desolation.  The  very  ruins,  in¬ 
deed,  give  indication  of  the  greatness  and  majesty  of  the 
Being  they  once  enshrined.  But  this  is  all ;  the  ideas 
they  suggest  are  one-sided  and  imperfect.  Man  is  not  an 
adequate  image  of  God.  We  need  one  purer,  more  august 
and  impressive.  Indeed,  God  must  actually  imbody  him¬ 
self  in  some  perfect  godlike  form  of  man,  for  that,  of  all 
the  forms  in  the  universe,  we  can  best  understand.  In  no 
other  way  can  he  furnish  that  vivid  and  overpowering  ex¬ 
hibition  of  his  glory,  fitted  to  subdue  and  transform  our 
hearts. 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


163 


Now  this  is  precisely  what  God  has  done  in  the  person 
of  Christ.  By  a  close  and  mysterious  union  with  this  “  no¬ 
blest  form  of  man,”  he  draws  near  to  us,  and  discovers  to 
our  whole  interior  nature,  all  the  fullness  or  perfection  of 
the  Godhead.  Our  Saviour  is  thence  described  as  the  Im¬ 
age  of  the  Invisible  God ,  or,  which  is  the  same  thing,  God 
made  visible ,  God  manifested  in  the  flesh*  This  is  the  true 
and  proper  Theophany.  The  entire  Godhead  is  here,  not 
only  revealed,  but  incarnated.  We  see  his  glory  as  in  a 
mirror,  whence  it  is  reflected  back  again  into  our  souls  ;  as 
if  the  soul  itself  were  another  mirror  to  receive  the  Divine 
image  in  the  face  of  Jesus. 

Let  an  individual  try  to  form  an  abstract  idea  of  God, 
and  the  more  he  withdraws  his  mind  from  sensible  objects, 
from  air,  and  earth,  and  sky,  the  more  bewildered  does 
he  find  himself.  What  seemed  distinct  and  vivid,  fades 
into  dim  shadow.  His  thoughts,  incapable  of  fixing  them¬ 
selves  upon  definite  points,  roam  at  random  through  infinite 
space.  If  the  boundless  immensity  and  terrible  majesty  of 
God  are  in  any  measure  realized,  it  will  be  found,  after  all, 
that  these  conceptions  are  but  the  extension,  and  what  we 
venture  to  call,  the  shadowy  refinement  of  material  objects, 
of  suns,  centres  and  systems,  or  the  imaginary  area  of  space, 
encircling,  perhaps,  in  the  centre,  a  magnificent  throne,  oc¬ 
cupied  by  a  majestic,  bodily  form.  When  all  this  is  re¬ 
jected  as  visionary  and  absurd,  and  the  wayward  mind  is 
recalled  to  the  reality  of  things,  to  the  spirituality,  infinity 
and  eternity  of  God,  it  will  turn  out  that  while  the  intellect 
attaches  definite  ideas  to  these  expressions,  they  are  yet 


164 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


cold  and  formal,  and  exert  but  little  influence  upon  the 
soul. 

But  let  God  reveal  himself  in  a  nature  like  our  own, 
and  in  that  nature  go  forth  to  control  all  worlds,  to  quicken 
the  dead,  to  regenerate  the  soul,  and  instantly  we  gain  a 
conception  of  his  majesty  which  overwhelms  us.  Let  us 
behold  him  in  the  face  of  Jesus,  radiant  with  the  light  of 
a  boundless,  unutterable  love,  and  both  our  intellect  and 
our  heart  humble  themselves  before  the  adorable  mystery. 
Here  is  a  Being  we  can  understand  and  appreciate,  moving 
and  acting  among  ourselves,  full  of  majesty  and  power, 
controlling  the  winds  and  the  waves,  healing  the  sick,  rais¬ 
ing  the  dead,  regulating  the  world  of  spirits,  overmastering 
the  powers  of  evil,  conquering  death  and  the  grave,  and 
finally  assuming  the  place  of  universal  and  eternal  domin¬ 
ion.  And  yet,  with  all  this  power  and  supremacy,  full  of 
mercy  and  good  fruits,  infinite  in  love  and  compassion, 
blessing  all,  saving  all ;  a  man,  with  the  heart  and  soul  of 
a  man,  yet  a  God  confessed,  with  all  the  might  and  majesty 
of  a  God  ;  so  that  in  gazing  upon  his  glorified  face,  through 
which  the  whole  Deity  is  shining,  we  exclaim,  with  an 
ancient  prophet,  u  This  God  is  my  God,  I  have  waited  for 
him ;  this  God  is  my  God,  I  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  his 
salvation.’1 

This  manifestation  of  the  Godhead  in  Jesus  Christ  has 
no  tendency  whatever  to  destroy  the  Divine  unity  and  su¬ 
premacy.  Indeed,  it  is  the  only  thing  which  has  main¬ 
tained  it  in  the  world.  It  is  only  where  the  Godhead  of 
Christ  is  proclaimed  that  the  Divine  Unity  is  known. 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


165 


Abandon  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  and  you  will  soon  find 
yourselves  without  a  God.  Nor  has  this  view  any  tendency 
to  materialize  our  conceptions  of  the  Divine  essence  and 
character,  as  Dr.  Channing  and  others  claim.  It  is  impos¬ 
sible  that  it  should  thus  degrade  the  idea  of  an  infinite  and 
eternal  Being.  So  far  from  this,  it  is  the  only  means  of 
bringing  the  idea  of  God  within  the  range  and  scope  of 
our  thoughts,  by  imparting  to  it  a  luminousness  and  power 
fitted  to  seize  our  mind  and  affect  our  heart.  Where  is 
the  spirituality  of  God  maintained  so  tenaciously  and  suc¬ 
cessfully  as  among  the  most  rigid  Trinitarians  ?  Both  by 
experience  and  observation,  Jesus  Christ,  as  human  and 
yet  Divine,  is  proved  to  be  u  the  brightness  of  the  Fa¬ 
ther’s  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person.”  Even 
those  who  deny  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  sometimes  inadver¬ 
tently,  or  without  a  due  appreciation  of  the  real  force  and 
application  of  their  words,  use  language  respecting  Christ 
which  fully  justifies  the  highest  view  which  can  be  taken 
of  his  Godhead.  Thus  Dr.  Channing,  in  an  Appendix  to 
the  fourth  edition  of  his  works,  p.  527,  says,  “We  believe 
that  God  dwelt  in  him,  manifested  himself  through  him, 
taught  men  by  him,  and  communicated  to  him  his  Spirit 
without  measure.  We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  was  the 
most  glorious  display,  expression  and  representation  of  God 
to  mankind,  so  that  in  seeing  and  knowing  him,  we  see 
and  know  the  invisible  Father;  so  that  when  Christ  came, 
God  visited  the  world,  and  dwelt  with  men  more  conspicu¬ 
ously  than  at  any  former  period.  In  Christ’s  words  we 
hear  God  speaking  ;  in  his  miracles  we  behold  God  acting  ; 


166 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


in  his  character  and  life  we  see  an  unsullied  image  of  God’s 
purity  and  love.”* 

Besides,  it  may  be  asked,  how  could  God  manifest  the 
peculiarities  of  his  moral  character,  except  by  an  incarna¬ 
tion  ?  The  works  of  nature  alone  are  inadequate  to  this. 
While  these  exhibit  his  infinite  power  and  wisdom,  they 
cannot  reveal  his  justice,  his  purity  and  compassion.  Such 
attributes  can  only  adequately  discover  themselves  in  moral 
action.  Of  course  they  are  embodied,  to  some  extent,  in 
the  course  of  human  affairs,  in  the  history  of  the  race. 
But  the  lessons  there  are  not  always  clear.  They  demand 


*  The  following  extract  from  Dr.  Channing’s  Life,  Vol.  I,  p.  388,  will  throw  further 
light  upon  this  point.  But  how  singularly  inconsistent  the  position  of  this  able  and 
eloquent  writer,  in  admitting  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  yet  denying  him  to  be  God 
incarnate  ;  as  if  to  be  divine  were  something  different  from  being  God.  “  We  agreed,” 
says  he,  “in  our  late  conference,  that  a  majority  of  our  brethren  held  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  more  than  a  man,  that  he  existed  before  the  world,  that  he  literally  came  from  heaven 
to  save  our  race,  that  he  sustains  other  oriices  than  those  of  a  teacher  and  witness  to 
the  truth,  and  that  he  still  acts  for  our  benefit,  and  is  our  intercessor  with  the  Father. 
This  we  agreed  to  be  the  prevalent  sentiment  of  our  brethren.”  In  the  Appendix 
to  the  fourth  edition  of  his  works,  a  portion  of  which  we  have  quoted  in  the  text,  he 
says  :  “We  believe,  then,  in  the  Divinity  of  Christ  as  this  term  is  often  and  properly 
used.”  p.  572.  If  Jesus  Christ  is,  in  any  just  sense  of  that  term,  divine ,  he  is  so  far 
God,  and  thence  worthy  of  all  homage  and  worship.  It  is  true,  we  often  use  the  term, 
divine,  in  a  loose  and  figurative  sense ;  but  the  Scriptures  never  so  use  it.  The  dis¬ 
tinction  there,  between  the  creature  and  the  Creator,  is  marked  and  decisive.  Man  is 
only  man ;  angel  is  only  angel  however  exalted — never  divine,  never  God,  and  conse¬ 
quently  never  worshipped  as  such.  Any  approach  to  such  worship  is  rejected  with 
horror.  “  See  thou  do  it  not,”  said  the  angel  to  St.  John,  when  the  latter  fell  at  his 
feet,  “  for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant  and  one  of  the  prophets.”  Worship  God !  is  the 
uniform  sentiment  of  Holy  Writ.  What,  then,  shall  we  think  of  the  following,  from 
Dr.  Channing’s  address  at  Lenox,  a  few  days  before  his  death,  in  1842 :  “The  doctrine 
of  the  Word  made  flesh,  shows  us  God  uniting  himself  most  intimately  with  our  nature, 
manifesting  himself  in  human  form,  for  the  very  end  of  making  us  partakers  of  his 
own  perfection.  The  doctrine  of  grace,  as  it  is  termed,  reveals  the  infinite  Father,  im¬ 
parting  his  Holy  Spirit,  the  best  gift  he  can  impart  to  the  humblest  being  who  implores 
it.”  At  the  close  he  addresses  a  solemn  prayer  to  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Lord  and  Saviour 
of  the  race,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  one  can  scarcely  regard  as  a  figure  of 
speech,  or  a  mere  rhetorical  flourish :  “  Come,  friend  and  Saviour  of  the  race,  who 

didst  shed  thy  blood  upon  the  cross  to  reconcile  man  to  man,  and  earth  to  Heaven !” 


incarnation  as  a  mystery. 


167 


an  interpretation  from  a  higher  source.  Some  Gospel  must 
shed  its  light  upon  them.  An  abstract  revelation  upon  the 
subject  would  not  meet  the  case.  Probably  it  would  not 
be  well  understood.  Certainly  it  would  fail  to  make  a 
deep  moral  impression.  But  look  upon  the  life  of  Jesus  ; 
it  is  the  life  of  God  himself.  Here  he  not  only  speaks,  but 
acts;  “glorious  in  holiness,”  “abundant  in  goodness,” 
“  forgiving  iniquity,  transgression  and  sin.” 

Finally,  a  great  problem  has  to  be  solved.  “  How  shall 
man  be  just  with  God?”  Nature,  society,  philosophy,  give 
no  information  here.  A  real  difficulty  has  occurred.  Man 
is  a  sinner — condemned,  and  in  himself  helpless.  His 
natural  moral  instincts  suggest  the  necessity  of  an  atone¬ 
ment,  a  mediation,  an  intercession,  on  the  ground  of  which 
God  may  be  recognized  as  just,  even  while  forgiving  the 
sinner.  But  man  cannot  expiate  his  own  guilt.  One  man 
cannot  do  so  for  another.  An  angel  from  heaven  cannot  give 
a  ransom  for  the  soul.  The  reparation  to  be  made  must 
bear  some  proportion  to  the  magnitude  of  the  offence  and 
the  grandeur  of  the  Being  against  whom  it  has  been  com¬ 
mitted.  If  it  would  be  altogether  unsuitable  for  a  little 
German  principality,  or  an  insignificant  village  to  offer  its 
mediation  between  two  great  nations  like  France  and  Eng¬ 
land,  how  could  man  or  angel  sustain  the  responsibility  of 
mediating  between  God  and  an  apostate  race  ?  The  Medi¬ 
ator  in  such  a  case  must  be  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  bear 
some  relation  to  both  parties.  In  the  first  place,  he  must 
be  absolutely  sinless,  without  the  slightest  imputation  of 
participating  in  the  guilt  of  man,  “holy,  harmless,  unde- 


168 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


filed,  separate  from  sinners,”  and  therefore  infinitely  more 
than  a  man,  u  higher  than  the  heavens.”  He  must  also 
possess  a  special  interest  and  connection  with  the  Godhead, 
so  as  to  maintain  the  rights  of  Jehovah,  and  give  worth 
and  efficacy  to  the  atonement.  To  meet  such  an  exigency, 
so  peculiar  and  extraordinary,  a  peculiar  and  extraordinary 
nature  is  needed ;  a  being,  in  fact,  at  once  human  and  Di¬ 
vine,  one  who  is  the  Son  of  man,  and  yet  the  Son  of  God. 
If  this  supposition  involves  something  inexplicable,  or  mys¬ 
terious,  then  we  reply  that  the  reality  must  involve  some¬ 
thing  inexplicable  and  mysterious.  Thus  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Mediator,  our  High-Priest  and  Reconciler,  is  more  than  a 
man,  more  than  all  men  and  angels  combined.  As  a  Prince 
and  a  Saviour  he  has  power  with  God,  and  prevails.  He 
is  one  with  God,  he  is  one  also  wTith  man ;  truly  God,  and 
truly  man,  a  complete,  all-sufficient  Saviour.  Though  he 
was  “  in  the  form  of  God,  and  thought  it  no  robbery  to  be 
equal  with  God  yet  he  “  made  himself  of  no  reputation, 
and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant ;  and  being  found 
in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself  and  became  obe¬ 
dient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.”  These  are 
the  things  into  which  the  angels  desire  to  look.  They 
turn  away  from  the  glorious  fields  of  light,  from  suns  and 
stars  revolving  in  majesty  and  beauty,  in  the  bosom  of  in¬ 
finite  space,  to  ponder  these  mysterious  but  sublime  and 
cheering  truths.  a  Unto  the  intent  that  now  unto  princi¬ 
palities  and  powers  in  heavenly  places  might  be  known 
(made  known)  by  the  church  the  manifold  wisdom  of 
God.” 


INCARNATION  AS  A  MYSTERY. 


169 


But  if  angels  take  such  an  interest  in  the  mystery  of  re¬ 
demption,  what  shall  a  sinner,  burdened  with  guilt,  and 
ready  to  perish,  feel,  when  gazing  upon  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  ?  He  turns  away 
from  all  the  glories  of  the  starry  heavens,  from  the  verdure 
and  beauty  of  the  boundless  regions  of  the  earth,  from  all 
the  discoveries  of  science,  and  all  the  splendors  of  poetry 
and  art,  to  the  one  ineffable  manifestation  which  God  has 
made  of  himself  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Sinner,  weary  and  worn,  toiling  in  the  night  of  time,  and 
ready  to  perish  ;  sinner,  hungering  and  thirsting  after  right¬ 
eousness,  yet  failing  to  reach  it ;  sinner,  all  fevered  with 
anguish,  and  plunging  fruitlessly  to  quench  thy  death-thirst 
in  the  boundless  depths  of  human  speculation  ;  sinner,  con¬ 
scious  of  thine  emptiness  and  poverty,  and  longing  to  re¬ 
attach  thy  being  to  the  infinite  and  immortal, — look  and 
live !  Behold  thy  Saviour — God,  infinite  in  power,  infinite 
in  love  and  compassion !  He  dies  for  thee ;  he  lives  and 
reigns  for  thee !  Sinner,  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved. 

“  O,  the  sweet  wonders  of  that  cross, 

Where  God  the  Saviour  lived  and  died  ; 

Her  noblest  life  my  spirit  draws 

From  thy  dear  wounds  and  bleeding  side.” 


15 


CHAPTER  IY. 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 

It  will  naturally  be  inferred,  from  the  positions  already 
established,  that  we  should  strongly  object  to  any  theories, 
however  plausible  and  splendid,  proposing  to  explain  the 
mystery  of  the  incarnation,  or  of  the  sacred  Trinity.  W e 
can  form  the  idea  of  an  infinite  God,  and  can  appreciate,  in 
some  slight  degree,  the  sublime  and  affecting  relations  in 
which  he  stands  to  finite  natures,  finding  thus  a  basis  for  a 
clear  and  well-defined  system  of  religion.  So,  also,  we  can 
appreciate,  yet  more  fully  and  distinctly,  the  relations  in 
which  Jesus  Christ,  as  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  stands  to 
our  individual  souls,  and  thence  learn  at  once  our  duty  and 
our  destiny.  Relying  upon  him  as  our  Redeemer,  the 
soul’s  true  and  everlasting  Life,  we  can  feel  secure  and 
happy  in  the  prospect  of  eternity.  But  we  cannot  safely 
speculate  upon  his  essential  nature,  and  especially  upon 
his  relations  to  the  Godhead.  There  we  find  the  limits  of 
our  powers.  Our  curiosity,  indeed,  intense  and  insatiable 
as  that  of  others,  may  long  to  pass  the  limits  of  our  being, 
into  the  region  of  the  unknown  and  ineffable.  But  we  are 
satisfied  that  the  thing  is  impossible,  perhaps  undesirable ; 
and  therefore  we  content  ourselves  with  what  slight  dis¬ 
coveries  we  can  make  on  the  shores  of  the  mighty  abyss. 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  171 


Indeed,  we  are  fully  persuaded  that  it  is  one  of  the  highest 
attainments  of  wisdom  to  feel  and  confess  its  ignorance. 
We  are  strongly  inclined,  therefore,  with  one  or  two  slight 
modifications,  to  adopt  the  sentiments  of  Pascal,  who  says, 
“  The  sciences  have  two  extremities,  which  touch  each 
other.  The  one  is  that  pure  natural  ignorance  in  which 
we  are  born  ;  the  other  is  that  point  to  which  great  minds 
attain,  who,  having  gone  the  whole  round  of  possible  knowl¬ 
edge,  find  that  they  know  nothing,  (comparatively,)  and 
that  they  end  in  (much)  the  same  ignorance  in  which  they 
began.  But  it  is  an  intelligent  ignorance  which  knows 
itself.  Those  who  have  come  forth  from  their  native  igno¬ 
rance,  and  have  not  reached  this  other  extreme,  are  tinged 
with  scientific  conceit,  and  claim  to  be  learned  and  intelli¬ 
gent.  These  are  the  men  that  disturb  the  world,  and  that 
judge  more  falsely  of  every  thing  than  others.”*  Hence, 
he  says,  in  another  place,  u  The  highest  attainment  of  rea¬ 
son  is  to  know  that  there  is  an  infinity  of  knowledge 
beyond  its  reach.”f  Every  one  has  heard  of  the  saying  of 
Newton,  in  reference  to  his  vast  attainments, — that  he  felt 
as  a  child  gathering  pebbles  on  the  shores  of  the  vast 
ocean  of  human  knowledge  stretching  beyond  him.  “  What 
we  know  is  little,”  says  the  profound  La  Place ;  “  what 
we  are  ignorant  of  is  immense.”^  This,  spoken  of  human 
science,  is  especially  applicable  to  Theology.  The  higher 
our  discoveries,  the  more  profound  and  awful  appears  that 

*  Thoughts ,  p.  107.  English  translation.  t  Thoughts ,  p.  255. 
t  Hist.  Nat.  Philosophy,  378. 


172 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


boundless  ocean  of  being  and  thought  by  which  we  are 
encircled. 

We  know  from  Revelation  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Divine  ; 
we  know,  too,  that  there  is  some  distinction,  essential  or 
relative,  in  the  nature  of  the  Deity,  for  the  manifestation  of 
him  as  the  Father,  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  what 
we  denominate,  for  the  want  of  a  better  term,  the  Sacred 
Trinity ;  we  know,  moreover,  that  this  Trinity  is  perfectly 
consistent  with  unity ;  but  we  know  nothing  of  the  Divine 
essence,  or  manner  of  existence,  and  cannot  therefore  define 
the  nature  of  this  Trinity  in  Unity,  or  Tri-unity,  as  we 
sometimes  phrase  it.  The  whole  question  transcends  us. 
It  stands  alone,  without  analogies  or  illustrations,  in  nature 
and  science,  a  glorious  but  unfathomable  mystery.  Here 
we  cannot  reason,  either  from  finite  matter,  or  finite  spirit, 
from  the  nature  of  the  universe,  or  the  nature  of  man. 
Consequently  no  formula  in  human  language  can  ade¬ 
quately  express  the  mystery.  Our  being  and  mode  of 
existence  may  be,  indeed  must  be,  essentially  different  from 
the  Divine  ;  for  by  no  approximation  can  the  finite  be  made 
identical  with  the  infinite.  Even  if  it  were  maintained 
that  the  human  soul  is  an  emanation  of  the  Divine — a 
vague  and  unsatisfactory  mode  of  expression — it  could  not 
be  proved  to  be  Divine,  in  any  strict  or  adequate  sense  of  the 
word.  There  can  be  only  one  infinite,  uncreated  Being. 
All  others  are  finite,  created,  dependent  and  changeable. 
In  other  words,  they  are  the  production  of  the  Almighty, 
and  entirely  dependent  upon  his  support.  Doubtless  in  the 
possession  of  intellect  and  will,  of  consciousness  and  moral 


THEORIES  OP  THE  INCARNATION.  173 


feeling,  they  may  resemble  God  ;  but  it  is  absolutely  im¬ 
possible  they  should,  in  essential  constitution  and  mode  of 
being.  All  our  ideas,  however,  of  personality,  of  individual 
consciousness  and  will,  of  separate  and  single  existence, 
are  derived  from  the  finite  nature  of  man  ;  and  of  course, 
we  cannot  well  conceive  of  the  union  and  identity  in  one 
man,  of  three  distinct  yet  harmonious  personalities.  For 
that  is  simply  to  say,  that  in  one  person  there  are  three 
persons,  which  is  a  contradiction.  We  can  conceive  of 
two  or  more  elements  in  his  constitution,  the  union,  for  ex¬ 
ample,  of  the  physical  and  spiritual  elements  ;  but  we  have 
no  ground  for  saying  that  this  bears  any  close  or  adequate 
resemblance  to  the  union  of  three  spiritual  natures  in  one 
infinite  essence,  or  even  of  the  union  of  the  human  with 
the  Divine,  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  latter, 
however,  is  conceivable  enough  ;  for  here  are  two  natures 
in  one  person.  It  involves  no  contradiction,  no  absurdity. 
Ascending  to  the  absolute  nature  of  God,  we  lose  the  very 
idea  of  personality,  except  as  given  us  by  God  himself. 
Still  his  personality  is  conceivable  enough  ;  God  must  ever 
reveal  himself  to  us  in  the  form  of  a  person,  with  attributes 
corresponding  to  those  of  a  human  being,  that  is,  with  a 
distinct  consciousness,  intelligence  and  will.  But  when 
we  come  to  speak  of  three  persons,  or  three  hypostases  in 
God,  we  are  beyond  our  depth,  and  attach  either  a  false  or 
an  indefinite  idea  to  the  expression.  We  are  applying  to 
God,  finite  ideas,  and  finite  forms  of  speech.  Change  their 
import,  if  you  can,  give  them  an  infinite  character,  if  possi¬ 
ble,  and  what  have  you  ?  Three  persons  ?  No  !  Three 

15* 


174 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


beings  ?  No.  One  only  remains— the  one  infinite,  everlast¬ 
ing  God.  Indeed,  words  applied  in  this  connection  have  no 
meaning  at  all.  For,  to  use  or  apply  a  word  correctly  or 
adequately,  we  must  understand  the  thing,  the  fact,  princi¬ 
ple  or  idea  which  it  represents.  But  here  we  know  noth¬ 
ing.  Of  personality  among  men,  we  know  something ; 
perhaps,  however,  less  than  we  suppose;  and  may  express 
the  idea  in  appropriate  forms  of  speech.  But  of  personality 
in  God,  we  are  altogether  ignorant.  It  may  differ  essen¬ 
tially  from  all  our  preconceptions,  and  involve  relations  and 
ideas  beyond  the  grasp  of  created  intelligence.  Even  in 
regard  to  the  thoughts  and  ways  of  God,  we  see  through 
a  glass  darkly,  and  know  only  in  part ;  how  much  more  in 
regard  to  his  boundless  essence,  his  indivisible  eternal 
Being ! 

All  reasoning,  then,  about  personal  distinctions,  hypos¬ 
tases,  or  hypostatical  unions,  and  above  all,  about  the  pos¬ 
sibility  of  an  infinite  or  eternal  emanation  from  the  Being 
of  God,  or  an  eternal  generation  of  the  Son  from  the  Fa¬ 
ther,  as  light  from  the  sun,  water  from  the  fountain,  or 
thought  from  the  mind,  appears  to  us  the  gravest  trifling, 
the  most  absurd  logomachy.  Among  human  beings,  three 
persons  or  hypostases  are  three  distinct  and  independent 
individuals  with  three  minds,  three  wills,  and  three  con¬ 
sciousnesses,  which  cannot,  by  any  possibility,  be  made  one, 
except  in  design  and  action.  W  e  can  conceive  of  no  mode 
of  extinguishing  orblending  these  separate  personal  identi¬ 
ties.  But  what  may  take  place  in  an  infinite  essence, 
what  grounds  of  distinction  may  exist  in  the  first  great 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  175 


Cause  of  all  things,  or  what  modes  of  manifestation  may 
best  correspond  to  his  real  nature  and  being,  we  know 
nothing.  That  there  is  one  God,  the  Father  of  spirits,  holy 
and  ever-blessed,  unchangeable  and  immortal,  we  know. 
That  Jesus  Christ,  described  as  his  only-begotten  Son,  is 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  we  know.  That  these  two,  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  God  invisible,  and  God  manifest  in 
the  flesh,  are  one,  we  know.  That  the  Father  sends  the 
Son,  loves  the  Son,  and  co-operates  with  him  in  the  work 
of  redemption  ;  in  a  word,  that  there  is  a  sufficient  basis  of 
some  kind,  in  the  nature  of  the  Godhead,  to  admit  of  the 
distinction  expressed  by  the  terms  I,  Thou,  He,  in  applica¬ 
tion  to  the  one  and  the  other,  we  also  know.  But  the  I, 
Thou  and  He,  so  far  as  they  indicate  what  we  call  dis¬ 
tinct  personalities,  seem  to  be  lost  in  the  indivisible  essence 
of  the  eternal  God.  The  one  is  equal  with  the  other ;  in 
this  respect,  the  Godhead  of  the  Son  is  the  Godhead  of  the 
Father  ;  and  the  only  distinction  that  is  really  palpable  to 
us,  really  comprehensible  by  us,  is  that  the  one  is  God  in 
the  Spirit,  or  God  the  Father,  the  other  God  in  the  flesh,  or 
God  the  Son.  None,  even  of  those  who  are  hyper-orthodox, 
deny  that  the  union  between  them,  and  therefore  the  essential 
identity,  is  complete.  For  these  two ,  or  if  including  the  Holy 
Spirit,  “  these  three  are  one ” — one  living  and  true  God.  Here, 
then,  is  a  visible  distinction,  which  we  can  understand  and 
express  in  words  ;  but  it  would  be  presumption  in  us  to  deny 
that,  corresponding  to  this  visible  and  comprehensible  dis¬ 
tinction,  there  is  another  invisible  and  incomprehensible,  in 
the  very  nature  of  the  Divine  essence  and  mode  of  existence, 


176 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


% 


which  forms  an  unchangeable  basis  for  the  revelation  of 
God,  as  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 

This  is  certainly  conceivable.  It  seems  to  be  plainly 
taught  in  the  Word  of  God.  With  inconsiderable  excep¬ 
tions,  it  is  held  by  the  Church  universal.  It  is  maintained 
by  some  of  the  ablest  men  that  ever  lived,  and  cannot  very 
well  be  supposed  to  involve  any  thing  contradictory  and 
absurd.  It  has  greatly  assisted  to  form  a  clear  and  lofty 
conception  of  the  Divine  glory.  Indeed,  some  have  thought 
that  it  is  only  by  ascending  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  as 
Revealer  and  Mediator,  that  we  can  form  any  just  con¬ 
ceptions  of  his  greatness,  and,  above  all,  of  his  grace.  u  In 
the  person  of  the  Mediator,”  says  Lord  Bacon,  who  thinks 
that  God  must  ever  manifest  himself  to  all  created  beings 
by  a  Mediator,  “  the  true  ladder  is  fixed  whereby  God  may 
descend  to  his  creatures,  and  his  creatures  may  ascend  to 
God ;  so  that  God,  by  the  reconcilement  of  the  Mediator, 
turning  his  countenance  towards  his  creatures,  (though  not 
in  equal  light  and  degree,)  made  way  unto  the  dispensation 
of  his  holy  and  most  sacred  will ;  whereby  some  of  his 
creatures  might  stand,  and  keep  their  state  ;  others  might 
possibly  fall  and  be  restored ;  and  others  might  fall  and  not 
be  restored  to  their  state,  but  yet  remain  in  being  under 
wrath  and  corruption :  all,  with  respect  to  the  Mediator, 
which  is  the  great  mystery  and  perfect  centre  of  all  God’s 
ways  with  his  creatures,  and  to  which  all  his  other  works 
and  wonders  do  but  serve  and  infer.”*  The  distinction  here 

*  This  passage  occurs  in  a  solemn  confession  of  faith,  the  whole  of  which  deserves 
an  attentive  perusal.  Bacon's  Works,  Vol.  II.,  p.  407. 


THEORIES  OP  THE  INCARNATION.  177 

referred  to  by  Bacon,  is  that  which  exists  between  a  God 
absolute  and  a  God  manifested,  whether  in  the  creation  of 
the  world,  or  in  the  incarnation  of  Christ.  But  how  far 
beyond  our  powers  ! — how  impalpable  to  our  reason  ! — how 
impossible  to  be  grasped,  or  explained,  is  a  distinction  like 
that !  “  Such  knowledge  is  wonderful — it  is  high — we 

cannot  attain  unto  it.” 

Enough,  we  think,  has  been  said,  to  show  that  the  posi¬ 
tion  with  which  we  set  out  is  a  just  one,  namely,  that  we 
are  incompetent  to  speculate  upon  this  subject;  and  that 
no  theory,  proposing  its  elucidation,  can  possess  the  slight¬ 
est  claim  to  our  respect.  As  we  are  not  omniscient,  we 
must  bear  our  ignorance  as  best  we  can. 

But  in  all  times,  ingenious  men,  dissatisfied  with  the  ne¬ 
cessary  limits  of  human  knowledge,  have  imagined  the 
possibility  of  elucidating  this  mystery,  and,  in  some  in¬ 
stances,  have  projected  plausible  but  utterly  opposing 
theories  to  account  for  it.  “  These  over-bold  and  adven¬ 
turous  intruders,”  as  John  Howe  aptly  styles  them,  “  into 
the  deep  and  most  profound  arcana  of  the  Divine  nature,” 
have  either  torn  away  the  mystery  entirely,  or  covered  it 
with  a  deeper  and  more  impenetrable  shadow — some  boldly 
denying  the  Tri-unity  of  God,  and  others  involving  that 
truth  in  a  labyrinth  of  dazzling  and  unmeaning  subtleties. 
“  But  it  would  be  an  over-officious  and  too  meanly  servile  reli¬ 
giousness,”  as  Howe  admirably  remarks,  “  to  be  awed  by 
the  sophistry  of  scholastic  wits,  into  a  subscription  to  their 
confident  determinations  concerning  the  being  of  God,  that 
such  and  such  things  are  necessary  or  impossible  thereto 


178  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 

beyond  what  the  plain,  undisguised  reason  of  things,  or  his 
own  express  Word,  do  evince;  to  imagine  a  sacredness  in 
their  rash  conclusions,  so  as  to  be  afraid  of  searching  into 
them ;  or  of  examining  whether  they  have  any  firm  and 
solid  ground  or  bottom ;  to  allow  the  schools  the  making 
of  our  Bible  or  the  forming  of  our  Creed,  who  license  (and 
even  sport)  themselves  to  philosophize  upon  the  nature  of 
God,  with  as  petulant  and  irreverent  a  liberty  as  they  would 
upon  a  worm,  or  any  of  the  meanest  insect,  while  yet  they 
can  pronounce  little  with  certainty,  even  concerning  that, 
hath  nothing  in  it,  either  of  the  Christian  or  the  man.  It 
well  becomes  us,  as  well  as  concerns  us,  to  disencumber  our 
minds,  and  release  them  from  the  entanglements  of  their 
unproved  dictates.  *  *  *  The  more  reverence  we  have 

of  God,  the  less  we  are  to  have  for  such  men  as  have  them¬ 
selves  expressed  little.”* 

Perhaps  it  is  inevitable  that  the  prevalent  philosophy,  or 
the  prevalent  opinions  of  the  age,  should  modify  our  views 
of  theological  truth.  This,  however,  has  been  the  great 
snare  of  speculative  minds,  and  the  chief  source  of  their 
one-sided  and  erroneous  views.  An  anxiety  to  justify  the 
peculiarities  of  the  Christian  system,  has  tempted  its  friends, 
those  especially  of  a  literary  or  philosophical  turn,  to  bring 
these  into  harmony  with  the  prevalent  form  of  literature 
and  philosophy.  In  the  early  ages  of  the  Church,  we  see 
little  or  nothing  of  this.  The  first  Christians  took  only  a 
practical  view  of  religion,  and  devoutly  adored  Jesus  Christ 


Howe’s  Works,  p.  137. 


THEORIES  OF  TIIE  INCARNATION.  179 

as  God  incarnate.  The  ancient  Church  hymns,  and  the 
writings  of  the  Apostolic  Fathers,  which  come  down  to  the 
middle,  or  perhaps  to  the  latter  part  of  the  second  century, 
recognize  this  great  truth,  but  only  in  a  devout  or  practical 
way.  Justin  Martyr,  who  was  a  converted  Greek  phi¬ 
losopher,  is  the  first  in  whom  we  discover  any  philosophical 
or  speculative  tendency,  or  any  labored  attempt  to  justify 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity  in  the  eyes  of  Grecian  poetry 
or  metaphysics.*  We  have  been  looking  over  his  writings, 
and  have  been  struck  with  the  evidence  of  this  in  almost 
every  page.  He  attempts  to  justify  Christianity,  not  only 
to  the  philosophy  of  Plato  and  others,  but  to  the  poetry  and 
mythology  of  Greece — making  long  extracts  from  the  wri¬ 
tings  of  the  dramatists  and  other  poets,  in  corroboration  of 
its  claims.  Of  course  he  shows  the  infinite  superiority  of 
the  Christian  religion,  but  rejoices  to  discover  any  resem¬ 
blance  or  analogy  between  the  two.  It  is  well  known  that 
Plato,  in  his  lofty  speculations,  taught  a  sort  of  Trinity,  but 
one  different,  in  some  respects,  from  any  thing  revealed  in 
the  sacred  Scriptures.  He  had  first  the  uncreated  and  ab¬ 
solute  God,  then  his  understanding,  self-consciousness,  or 
self-reflection,  the  Logos  or  Reason  ;  and  thirdly,  the  Creator 
or  animal  soul  of  the  world;  so  that  in  Plato’s  Triad  it  was 
easy  to  see  some  correspondence  with  the  Christian  doctrine 
of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. f  Justin  Martyr  seizes 


*  Justin  belonged  to  the  second  century. 

t  We  have  not  space  to  enter  into  the  discussion  of  this  point.  But  those  who  wish 
to  see  the  whole  subject  discussed,  with  great  learning  and  ability,  may  consult  Cud- 
worth’s  “  Intellectual  System  particularly  the  latter  part  of  the  first  volume.  Cud- 


180 


manifestation  o  f  go d . 


upon  this,  and  declares,  in  several  places,  “  that  the  Son  is 
in  God,  what  the  understanding  (vod?)  is  in  man,  and  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  that  Divine  power  to  act  and  execute, 
which  Plato  calls  apero”  He  makes  a  similar  application 
of  Plato’s  Logos  to  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Son  of  God.  But 
as  Plato’s  Logos  and  his  Soul  of  the  World  were  created 
beings,  Justin  seems  to  hold  a  similar  view  with  reference 
to  the  dependence  and  creation  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
Holy  Spirit.  He  maintains  their  Divinity  :  but  it  is  evi¬ 
dently  a  created  or  derived  Divinity,  which  is  a  contradic¬ 
tion  in  terms.* * 

This  philosophising  tendency  is  yet  more  strikingly  de¬ 
veloped  in  Tertullian,  who  was  well  versed  in  Greek  and 
Roman  learning,  and  possessed  an  imaginative,  earnest 
and  powerful  mind.  In  his  Apology,  he  uses  the  following 
illustration  and  appeal :  “  God  created  the  world  by  his 
Word,  his  reason  and  his  power.  You  philosophers  your¬ 
selves  admit  that  the  Logos ,  the  Word  and  reason,  is  the 


worth,  who  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  Plato,  points  out,  in  several  particulars,  the 
difference  between  the  Platonic  Trinity,  particularly  as  held  by  the  Neo  Platonists,  and 
the  Christian  Trinity,  (pp.  735,  740,  774-5.)  The  points  of  coincidence  between  the 
various  Trinities,  as  taught  by  Pythagoras,  Zeno,  Plato  and  others,  are  sufficiently 
curious  and  striking,  and  deserve  an  attentive  study.  Some  interesting  quotations  upon 
this  subject  may  be  found  in  Dacier’s  Oeuvres  de  Platon,  and  in  the  first  part  of 
Cheateaubriand’s  “  Genie  Du  Christianisme.”  “  In  the  Epinomis,  and  elsewhere,”  says 
Dacier,  “Plato  lays  down  as  principles,  the  first  Good  ;  the  Word  or  the  Understand¬ 
ing,  and  the  Soul.  The  first  Good  is  God;  the  Word  or  the  Understanding  is  the  Son 
of  this  First  Good,  by  whom  he  was  begotten,  co-equal  with  himself;  and  the  Soul, 
which  is  the  middle  term  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  is  the  Holy  Ghost.” 

Oeuvres  de  Platon  Traduits  par  Dacier. 

*  See  Justin  Martyr’s  A oyos  irpog  E\\rjra(,  Oratio  ad  Grajccos.  Works,  Otto’s 
Ed.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  10.  Also,  Cohortatio,  pp.  20,  68,  106.  Apologia,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  160, 
164.  Especially  pp.  180,  184,  208,  252.  Consult,  also,  Neander’s  Church  History,  Vol. 
I.,  p.  585  ;  and  Knapp’s  Theology,  p.  150. 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  181 


Creator  of  the  universe.  The  Christians  merely  add  that 
the  proper  substance  of  the  Word  and  of  reason,  that  sub¬ 
stance  by  which  God  produced  all  things,  is  the  Spirit ;  that 
this  word  must  have  been  pronounced  by  God ;  that  being 
pronounced,  it  was  generated  by  him  ;  that  consequently  it 
is  the  Son  of  God,  and  God  by  reason  of  the  unity  of  the 
substance.  If  the  sun  shoots  forth  a  ray,  his  substance  is 
not  separated,  but  extended.  Thus  the  Word  is  Spirit  of  a 
Spirit,  and  God  of  God,  like  a  light  kindled  at  another  light. 
Thus  whatever  proceeds  from  God  is  God ,  and  the  two, 
with  their  spirit,  form  but  one,  differing  in  properties,  not  m 
number ;  in  order,  not  in  nature.  The  Son  sprang  from  his 
principle  without  being  separated  from  it.  Now  the  ray  of 
the  Divinity  descended  into  the  womb  of  the  virgin,  in¬ 
vested  itself  with  flesh,  and  became  man,  united  with  God. 
This  flesh,  supported  by  the  Spirit,  was  nourished,  grew, 
spake,  taught.,  acted:  it  was  Christ. ”* 

This  is  ingenious  and  striking,  and,  withal,  remarkably 

*  The  above  quotation  may  be  found  in  Tertullian’s  “  Jlpologeticus  Jldvcrsus 
Gentes ,  etc  :  (21.)  Gersdorf’s  Bibliotheca  Patrurn,  Lut.  Vol.  iv.  p.  87.  It  is  as  fol¬ 
lows  :  “  Jam  ediximus  Deum  universitatem  banc  mundi  verbo,  et  ratione  et  virtute 
molitum.  Apud  vestros  quoque  sapientes  A6yov  id  est  sermonem,  atque  rationem, 
constat  artificem  videri  uni versitatis.  *  *  *  *  Et  nos  etiam  sermoni  atque  rationi, 

per  quse  omnia  molitum  Deum  ediximus,  propriam  substantiam  spiritum  inscribimus, 
cui  et  sermo  insit  pronuntianti,  et  ratio  adsit  disponenti,  et  virtus  prassit  perficienti. 
Hunc  ex  Deo  prolatum  didicimus,  et  prolatione  generatum,  et  idcirco  filium  Dei  et  Deum 
dictum  ex  unitate  substantiae.  Nam  et  Deus  spiritus.  Et  cum  ex  sole  porrigitur, 
portio  ex  summa;  sed  solerit  in  radio,  quia  solis  est  radius,  nec  separatur  substantia, 
sed  extenditur.  Ita  de  spiritu  spiritus,  et  de  Deo,  Deus,  ut  lumen  de  lumine  accensum. 
Manet  integra  et  indefecta  materiae  matrix,  etsi  plures  inde  traduces  qualitatum  mutue- 
ris  :  ita,  et  quod  de  Deo  profectum  est  Deus  est,  et  Dei  filius,  et  unus  ambo.  Ita  et  de 
spiritu  spiritus,  et  de  Deo  Deus  modulo  alterum,  non  numero,  gradu,  non  statu  fecit,  eta 
matrice  non  recessit,  sed  excessit.  Iste  igitur  Dei  radius,  ut  retro  semper  predicabntur 
delapsus  in  virginem  quandam,  et  in  utero  ejus  caro  figuratus,  nasciturhomo  Dei  rnistus. 
Caro  spiritu  instructa  nutritur,  adolescit,  affatur,  docet,  operatur  et  Christus  est.” 

16 


182 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


well  expressed.  Moreover  it  contains  a  vein  of  truth  ;  but 
it  is  too  theoretical  and  fanciful  to  be  received  as  a  whole. 
It  appeals  more  to  the  imagination  than  the  reason,  and  is 
destitute  of  plain  scriptural  proof.  It  acknowledges  the 
Divinity  of  Christ,  for  this  is  a  truth  which  Tertullian  most 
strenuously  taught ;  but  it  makes  Christ  more  of  an  attri¬ 
bute  than  an  essence,  a  creature  than  a  Creator.  It  acknowl¬ 
edges,  indeed,  his  substance,  and  speaks  of  him  as  “  Spirit 
of  Spirit,  God  of  God,”  and  so  far  conforms  to  the  teachings 
of  the  Scriptures  ;  but  plunges  into  hypothesis  and  fancy, 
when  it  represents  Christ  as  “  a  ray  from  the  Divinity,  in¬ 
carnating  itself  in  the  flesh  of  Jesus  Christ.”  Indeed,  Ter¬ 
tullian,  like  most  of  the  philosophers  of  his  age,  was  mys¬ 
tified  by  the  theory  of  emanation ,  as  if  God,  like  the  sun, 
or  like  a  fountain,  continually  throws  out  from  himself  both 
matter  and  spirit,  and  that  these  consequently  partake  of 
the  nature  of  God.  This  was  the  great  error  of  the 
Gnostics,  and  of  the  Neo  Platonists,  of  Clement,  Origen,  and 
Arius,  all  of  whom,  while  acknowledging  the  Divinity  of 
Christ,  made  him  an  emanation  or  a  creation  of  God — light  of 
light — spirit  of  spirit,  as  they  would  say,  flowing  eternally 
from  God,  or  separated  from  him  by  the  act  of  incarnation. 
Athanasius  himself,  who  cherished  the  clearest  ideas  of 
the  absolute  and  supreme  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  did  not 
rid  his  mind  of  the  prevalent  notions,  and  hence  speculates 
with  astonishing  boldness  and  ingenuity  upon  the  subject 
of  an  eternal  generation — a  constant  and  changeless  birth 
or  emanation  of  God  from  God,  of  Spirit  from  Spirit,  as 
thought  from  the  mind,  or  light  from  the  sun.  He  sees 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  183 

and  acknowledges  the  profound  and  inscrutable  mystery ; 
but  somehow  wishes  to  place  it  in  some  natural  or  plausi¬ 
ble  light,  and  so  bewilders  himself  with  an  intricate  and 
splendid  theory,  which,  after  all,  turns  upon  a  mere  figure 
of  speech,  or  a  play  upon  words. 

For  centuries  the  whole  Christian  world  was  agitated 
with  this  discussion  between  the  theories  of  Arius  and 
Athanasius  ;  all,  however,  with  slight  exceptions,  as  in  the 
case  of  Paul  of  Samosota,  acknowledging  the  real  Godhead 
and  Supremacy  of  Christ,  Arians  and  Athanasians  alike 
uniting  in  his  worship.  The  Arians,  however,  insisted  upon 
an  actual  creation  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  eternal  God,  and 
his  consequent  inferiority  to  the  Father.  They  acknowl¬ 
edged  him  to  be  the  first  and  greatest  of  all  creatures,  nay, 
Divine  and  worthy  of  all  trust  and  homage  ;  but  still  a  crea¬ 
ture,  with  a  nature  resembling  that  of  God,  but  not  actu¬ 
ally  identical  with  it.  In  a  word,  they  held  the  gross 
absurdity,  of  a  created,  limited  and  subaltern  God.  But 
believing  the  theory  of  emanation ,  or,  as  they  called  it, 
spiritual  generation,  they  saw  no  inconsistency  in  the  idea 
of  God  producing  God,  or  of  a  creature  occupying  the 
place,  and  performing  the  functions  of  Jehovah.  Many  of 
them  were  certainly  pious,  and  worshipped  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  true  God  and  eternal  life. 

The  followers  of  Athanasius  became  the  dominant  party; 
and  his  Creed,  adopted  by  the  Council  of  Nice,  was  finally 
acknowledged  as  the  belief  of  the  Catholic  Church.  It  has 
been  adopted,  with  slight  modifications,  into  all  the  Creeds 
of  Christendom,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  formal  belief. 


184 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


both  of  the  ancient  and  of  the  modern  Church.*  In  its 
main  features  it  is  undoubtedly  scriptural,  and  might,  with 
a  slight  mental  reserve,  be  adopted  by  every  candid  believer 
in  the  supreme  Divinity  and  incarnation  of  Christ.  As  de¬ 
fended,  however,  by  Athanasius,  especially  as  understood 
by  himself,  it  involves  a  theory  of  the  Trinity  and  Incar¬ 
nation,  which,  simply  because  it  is  a  theory,  ought  to  be 
rejected.  Its  form  of  expression  is  figurative  and  theoretical, 
and  may  be  understood  in  different  senses  ;  but  those  who 
have  studied  it  the  most  carefully,  will  allow  that  it  in¬ 
volves  a  speculation  on  the  nature  of  God,  of  the  Divine 
procession  of  the  Son  from  the  Father,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  which  mayor  may 
not  be  true.  In  our  judgment,  however,  it  is  too  vague  to 
be  true ;  for  what  do  we  know  of  u  eternal  generation,”  of 
Divine  procession ;  and  what  definite  idea  do  the  ex¬ 
pressions,  God  of  God,  Light  of  Light,  Spirit  of  Spirit,  con¬ 
vey  to  our  minds'?  Athanasius  was  undoubtedly  a  great 
man — one  of  the  greatest,  indeed,  that  the  Church  can 
boast.  He  had  astonishing  vigor,  penetration  and  grasp  of 


*  The  following  is  the  Nicene  Creed  : 

“  I  believe  in  God  Almighty,  the  Maker  of  all  things  visible  and  invisible  ;  and  in  one 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  that  is  of  the  sub¬ 
stance  of  the  Father,  God  of  God,  Light  of  Light,  true  God  of  true  God,  begotten,  not 
made,  of  the  same  substance  with  the  Father,  by  whom  all  things  were  made  that  are 
in  heaven  and  that  are  in  earth  ;  who  for  us  men,  and  for  our  salvation,  came  down 
from  heaven,  became  incarnate,  was  made  man,  suffered,  rose  again  the  third  day,  and 
ascended  into  heaven,  from  whence  he  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead. 
And  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  (the  Lord,  the  quickener, — to  Kvpiov,  to  Zwonoiov, — 
who  c.ometh  forth  from  the  Father:)  who  with  the  Father  and  the  Son  is  worshipped 
and  glorified  ;  who  spake  by  the  prophets,”  etc. 

The  above  is  a  literal  rendering  of  the  Nicene  Creed.  The  original  may  be  seen  in 
Knapp’s  Theology,  p.  154,  or  in  the  second  volume  of  Neander’s  Church  History. 

What  is  strictly  called  “  The  Athanasian  Creed,”  differs  from  the  Nicene,  and  was 
not  written  by  Athanasius.  It  belongs  to  a  later  age. 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  185 

mind  ;  a  clear,  nervous  style  ;  an  earnest  and  overpowering 
eloquence.  Moreover,  he  was  thoroughly  honest,  fully 
persuaded  of  the  truth  himself,  and  deeply  penetrated  with 
its  life-giving  power.  “His  deep  mind,  his  noble  heart,  his 
invincible  courage,  his  living  faith,  his  unbounded  benev¬ 
olence,  sincere  humility,  lofty  eloquence,  and  strictly  vir¬ 
tuous  life,  gained  the  honor  and  love  of  all.”*  He  cherished, 
also,  the  highest  reverence  for  the  Word  of  God,  and  based 
his  doctrines  on  the  express  teachings  of  Inspiration ;  but 
he  was  a  keen  controversialist,  as  well  as  a  bold  and  subtle 
theorist.  W ith  immense  dialectical  force,  and  great  subtlety 
of  conception,  he  felt  that  no  subject  was  beyond  his  grasp, 
and  played  with  the  most  awful  mysteries,  as  a  child  with 
beautiful  but  dangerous  toys.  Reverent,  indeed,  always  se¬ 
rious,  always  devout,  but  bold,  hazardous  and  keen,  dashing 
into  the  very  depths  of  nature  and  God,  and  overwhelming  his 
opponents  with  argument  and  eloquence.  His  imagination 
got  the  better  of  his  judgment,  and  he  discerned,  or  imagined 
he  discerned,  the  logical  necessity  for  an  eternal  generation 
or  procession  of  the  Son  from  the  Father.  “Begotten,  not 
made  “  generated  not  fashioned,”  he  saw,  as  it  were,  the 
everlasting  procession  of  the  Divine  from  the  Divine — an 
ever-streaming  radiance — an  ever-burning  glory,  flowing 
forth  like  light  from  the  stars,  or  rays  from  the  sun ! 

We  all  allow,  of  course,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of 
God,  in  a  higher  relation  than  pertains  to  his  merely  human 
generation,  or  earthly  life  ;  for  this  the  Scriptures  expressly 


*  Conversation s  Lexicon — Article,  Athnnntsius. 
16* 


186 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


teach ;  and  it  was  this  fact  which  gave  force  and  plausi¬ 
bility  to  the  theory  of  Athanasius ;  but  the  name,  Son  of 
God,  though  higher  than  any  other  in  the  universe,  ex¬ 
presses  simply  the  fact  of  his  peculiar  relation  to  the  God¬ 
head  ;  in  other  words,  the  fact  of  his  supreme  Divinity ;  but 
it  gives  no  light  as  to  the  mode  of  that  relation,  and  teaches 
nothing  about  an  eternal  generation  or  procession.  In  this 
very  point  lies  that  fathomless  mystery ,  of  which  we  have 
so  frequently  spoken,  and  into  which  it  is  worse  than  folly 
to  try  to  penetrate.  The  theory,  then,  of  Athanasius,  asso¬ 
ciated,  as  it  is,  with  the  creed  of  Christendom,  and  ven¬ 
erable  for  its  age  and  apparently  scriptural  basis,  must  be 
abandoned  with  other  fancies  of  good  men,  which  obscure 
rather  than  illuminate  the  truth.  His  belief,  touching  the 
supreme  Godhead  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Hoty  Spirit,  we 
admit  as  our  own  ;  and  venerate,  from  our  inmost  heart,  his 
noble  and  successful  efforts  in  defence  of  the  truth.  But 
his  theorizing  upon  this  great  mystery ,  we  renounce  as  mist 
amid  the  sunlight,  or  clouds  upon  the  face  of  the  sky. 
“  Who  can,  by  searching,  find  out  God  ?”  Who  can  dis¬ 
cover  the  union  of  the  F ather  with  the  Son,  or  reveal  the 
secret  of  his  uncreated  being,  his  everlasting  essence  ?  Not 
Arius ;  not  Athanasius ;  not  even  Paul.  Moreover,  the 
great  Apostle  was  too  wise  to  make  the  attempt.  He  but 
announces  the  fact,  and  adores  the  mystery. 

Sabellius,  a  bold  and  reckless  thinker,  cut  the  knot  of 
the  difficulty,  and  maintained  that  the  Trinity  had  no  foun¬ 
dation  in  the  Divine  Essence,  and  that  it  derived  its  import 
simply  from  its  relations  to  our  minds,  or  rather  to  the  dif- 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  187 

ferent  parts  or  offices  in  the  work  of  human  redemption.  In 
his  view,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  the 
same  eternal  God,  only  in  different  aspects  and  offices.  Of 
course,  he  maintained  the  absolute  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  so  far,  was  abundantly  or¬ 
thodox  ;  but  he  discarded  all  mystery  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity,  and  of  the  incarnation  of  Christ.  This,  then,  as 
all  will  see,  is  a  mere  theory ,  which  contradicts  some  of  the 
plainest  teachings  of  God’s  Word,  and  is  made  “  for  the 
nonce,”  as  the  old  writers  say  ;  in  other  words,  to  get  rid  of 
a  difficulty.  Better  far  confess  our  ignorance,  and  adore 
the  infinite  depths  of  the  Divine  essence  and  glory.  “  The 
Word  was  with  God” — and  not  only  so,  but  “was  God.” 
How?  We  know  not ;  and  that  is  all  we  can  say.  No 
theory  will  meet  the  case.  Athanasius  and  Sabellius,  are 
equally  at  fault  here. 

The  Nicene,  or  Athanasian  creed,  has  been  generally 
held  both  in  ancient  and  modern  times.  It  is  thoroughly 
incorporated  into  the  popular  theology,  and  forms  an  ele¬ 
ment  in  the  belief  of  almost  every  Christian  sect.  Modi¬ 
fied,  in  slight  particulars,  arrd  with  a  liberal  construction, 
it  may  be  said  to  be  the  belief  of  Christendom.  Individuals, 
however,  even  among  those  who  have  professed  to  hold  it 
as  the  creed  of  the  church,  have  occasionally  departed  from 
its  spirit,  and  indulged  in  theories  of  their  own.  The  prev¬ 
alent  philosophy,  in  this  respect,  has  greatly  affected  their 
minds.  Thus  the  great  Bossuet,  who  was  an  enthusi¬ 
astic  admirer  of  Plato  and  of  the  Cartesian  philosophy,  has 
given  us  a  theory,  or  an  explanation  of  the  Trinity,  more 


188 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


akin  to  the  fancies  of  Tertullian  and  Justin  Martyr,  than 
the  plain  teachings  of  the  Scriptures.  a  If  we  impose 
silence  on  our  senses,”  says  he,  “  and  retire  for  a  short 
time  into  the  recesses  of  our  soul,  that  is  to  say,  to  that 
part  where  the  voice  of  truth  is  heard,  we  shall  there  per¬ 
ceive  a  sort  of  image  of  the  Trinity  whom  we  adore. 
Thought,  which  we  feel  produced  as  the  offspring  of  our 
mind,  as  the  son  of  our  understanding,  gives  us  some  idea 
of  the  Son  of  God,  conceived  from  all  eternity  in  the  intel¬ 
ligence  of  the  celestial  Father.  For  this  reason,  the  Son 
of  God  assumes  the  name  of  the  Word,  to  intimate  that  he 
is  produced  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  not  as  bodies  are 
generated,  but  as  the  inward  voice  that  is  heard  within  our 
souls,  and  arises  there  when  we  contemplate  the  truth. 

“  But  the  fertility  of  the  mind  does  not  stop  at  this  in¬ 
ward  voice,  at  this  intellectual  thought,  at  this  image  of 
the  truth  that  is  formed  within  us.  We  love  both  this  in¬ 
ward  voice  and  the  intelligence  which  gives  it  birth  ;  and 
while  we  love  them,  we  feel  within  us  something  that  is 
not  less  precious  to  us  than  intelligence  and  thought,  that 
is  the  fruit  of  both,  that  unites  them  and  unites  with  them, 
and  composes  with  them  one  and  the  same  existence. 

“  Thus,  as  far  as  there  can  be  any  resemblance  between 
God  and  man,  is  produced  in  God  the  eternal  love  which 
springs  from  the  Father  who  thinks,  and  the  Son  who  is 
his  thought,  to  compose  with  him  and  his  thought  one  and 
the  same  nature,  equally  happy  and  equally  perfect.”* 


*  Ilistoire  Universelle,  I.  p.  248. 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  189 

Here  we  see  a  lively  reproduction  of  the  Platonic  Trinity, 
the  Essential  God — his  intelligence  ( nous ,)  or  understand¬ 
ing,  begotten  of  him,  and  uniting  in  the  production  of  the 
soul  of  the  world.  Thus  speculations  circulate  through 
the  ages,  and  the  thoughts  of  great  men  become  incor¬ 
porated  with  the  universe  of  mind.  It  was  well,  however, 
that  Bossuet  remarked  that,  in  his  beautiful  representation 
of  the  human  mind,  with  its  diverse  elements  and  inward 
harmony,  is  seen  only  u  a  sort  of  image  of  the  Trinity  ” 
With  this  concession,  we  may  accept  it  as  ingenious  and 
agreeable. 

The  prevalent  and  fashionable  philosophy  of  the  nine¬ 
teenth  century,  particularly  in  Germany  and  France,  and, 
to  some  extent,  in  England  and  in  this  country,  is  a 
modified  spiritualism,  which  finds  its  most  rational  and 
agreeable  exposition  in  the  eclecticism  of  Victor  Cousin. 
It  has  been  adopted,  with  more  or  less  modification,  by 
nearly  all  the  German  theologians.  Schleiermacher,  who 
translated  Plato,  and  formed  his  whole  system  of  theology 
on  a  philosophical  basis,  gave  rise  to  a  theory  of  the 
Trinity  which  is  quite  prevalent  among  modern  theo¬ 
logians.  He  finds  Religion  to  consist  in  the  union  of  the 
finite  with  the  infinite,  doubtless  a  great  truth,  properly 
explained  and  understood.  On  this  ground,  we  must  find 
the  infinite  in  Christ.  He  therefore  insists  strongly  on 
his  proper  Divinity  or  Godhead.  But  he  first  recognizes 
the  absolute  God ,  to  us  the  impersonal,  the  unknown,  and 
the  inaccessible.  This  absolute  God  must  manifest  him¬ 
self;  and  thence  he  passes  over  from  the  absolute  into  the 


190 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


relative,  from  the  infinite  into  the  finite.  God  reproduces 
himself,  so  to  speak,  in  a  new  and  visible  form,  and  be¬ 
comes,  in  some  sense,  a  new  Being.  This  is  the  Logos, 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God ;  in  other  words,  God  himself, 
who  created  the  universe,  and  became  incarnate  in  order  to 
bring  man  into  union  and  fellowship  with  the  infinite,  and 
thus  redeem  him  from  the  bondage  of  sin.  A  theory ,  beau¬ 
tiful  in  itself,  and  doubtless  with  some  elements  of  truth, 
but  still  a  theory ,  which  leaves  the  great  mystery  just 
where  it  was  before,  and  mystifies  us  with  words  which 
have  no  definite  import.* 

But  this  furnishes  a  fair  specimen  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  regarded  by  the  phi¬ 
losophers  and  theologians  of  Germany.  The  Hegelians, 
even,  have  a  Trinity:  the  Me  and  not  the  Me,  and  the  re¬ 
lation  between  them  ;  in  other  words,  Absolute  Being,  and 
Relative  Being,  and  the  union  of  the  two,  or  the  middle 
term  which  unites  them.  So  they  talk  very  profoundly  of 
absolute  Being,  or  the  absolute  God,  who  is  entirely  inac¬ 
cessible  to  our  minds,  as  without  thought,  without  feeling, 
without  action:  in  a  word,  without  anything  which  is  tangi¬ 
ble  to  our  minds;  of  the  absolute  Being  u  struggling  to  reveal 
himself,”  passing  over  into  the  finite,  reproducing  himself 
in  the  universe  of  matter  and  of  mind,  first  representing 
himself  to  himself,  coming  into  self-consciousness,  creating 
his  own  image,  and  then  going  forth,  to  embody  his  glory 

*  These  views  are  developed  in  his  “  Weihnachtsfeier,”  and  “Glnubenslehre.” 
See  Morell’s  History  of  Philosophy,  pp.  GIB,  619. 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  191 

in  the  world,  in  man,  in  Christ,  manifesting  himself  espe¬ 
cially  in  Christ. 

But  what  pure  hypothesis  is  this !  What  bewildering 
verbiage  !  Absolute  Being  !  Absolute  God  !  God  without 
thought,  without  feeling,  without  design,  without  action! 
There  is  no  such  God.  There  never  was  such  a  God.* 
He  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever — evermore 
the  holy,  evermore  the  good,  the  wise,  the  blessed.  He 
speaks,  and  it  is  done  ;  he  says,  Let  their  be  light !  and 
there  is  light.  Earth  and  sky,  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars — 
this  great  and  beautiful  universe  starts  into  being  at  his 
bidding,  and  reflects  his  glory.  But  God  is  evermore  above 
it,  and  bejmnd  it,  the  same,  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever. 

But  this  idea  of  absolute  Being  passing  over  into  the 
finite  and  formal,  reproducing  himself  in  the  universe,  has  a 
peculiar  charm  to  imaginative  minds,  and  has  greatly  mod¬ 
ified  the  theological  teaching  of  Germany.  It  affected  the 
mind  of  Coleridge,  who  thinks,  (see  “  Aids  to  Reflection,’7) 
that  there  is  a  natural  or  philosophical  necessity  for  a  Trinity, 
or  at  least  for  the  incarnation  of  Jesus  Christ  in  human 
form.  Some  even  among  ourselves  have  talked  learnedly 
about  the  absolute  God, — his  self-consciousness — self-reflec¬ 
tion,  or  self-imagination,  as  if  the  latter  were  the  Logos , 
the  Son  of  God, — of  God  struggling  to  reveal  himself  in 
the  finite, — of  his  being  first  inworlded  and  then  incarnated  ; 
as  if  expressions  and  speculations  of  this  sort  could  throw 
the  slightest  light  on  the  great  mystery  of  the  Godhead, 

*  “  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  ere  ever  Thou  hadst  formed  the  earth 
and  the  world,  even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  Thou  art  God  !”  Ps.  xc.  1,  2, 


192 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


in  human  flesh.  Doubtless  much  truth  may  mingle  with 
speculations  of  this  kind,  striking  views,  interesting  argu¬ 
ments,  and  spirit-stirring  pictures  ;  but,  alas  !  we  are  just 
where  we  were  years  ago,  and  where  we  must  ever  remain, 
at  least  as  long  as  we  are  in  the  flesh,  on  the  brink  of  a 
vast  abyss,  a  mystery  of  Godliness,  into  which  the  angels 
desire  to  look.* 

It  must  not  be  inferred  from  what  we  have  said,  that 
among  the  German  theologians,  or  those  who  sympathise 
with  them  in  this  country,  there  are  no  just  and  scriptural 
views  of  the  incarnation  and  Godhead  of  Christ.  Indeed, 
many  of  them  hold  these  truths  very  intelligently,  and  even 
in  their  speculations,  some  of  which  are  fanciful  enough, 
have  shed  upon  them  an  interesting  light.  Schleiermacher 
has  done  much  to  uproot  the  cold  rationalism  which  pre¬ 
vailed  in  his  day ;  while  Neander  and  Tholuck  have  car¬ 
ried  forward  the  reform  which  he  commenced.  The  state¬ 
ment  of  this  doctrine  by  Neander  is  striking  and  instruc¬ 
tive,  although  it  involves  too  much  of  merely  speculative 
theory.  “  It  is  this  doctrine,”  he  says,  “  by  which  God 
becomes  known  as  the  original  fountain  of  all  existence ; 
as  He  by  whom  the  rational  creation,  that  had  become  es- 

*  The  following,  from  Lord  Bacon,  deserves  the  consideration  of  all  theorists :  “  As 
for  perfection  or  completeness  in  Divinity,  it  is  not  to  be  sought.  For  he  that  will  re¬ 
duce  a  science,  a  knowledge  into  an  art,  will  make  it  round  and  uniform  ;  but  in  Di¬ 
vinity,  many  things  must  be  left  abrupt,  and  concluded  with,  thus :  ‘  O  the  depth  of  the 
riches,  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  !  How  unsearchable  are  his  judg¬ 
ments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out !’  So,  again,  the  Apostle  saith  ;  ‘  We  know  in 
part;’  and  to  have  the  form  of  a  total  where  there  is  matter  but  for  a  part,  cannot  be 
without  supplies  by  supposition  and  presumption.” — Works,  Vol.  i.  p.  241. 

“  The  contemplation  of  God’s  creatures  and  works  produceth  (having  regard  to  the 
works  and  creatures  themselves,)  knowledge  ;  but  having  regard  to  God,  no  perfect 
knowledge,  hut  wovrlrr,  which  is  broken  knowledge.” — p.  163. 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION. 


193 


tranged  from  him,  is  brought  back  to  fellowship  with  him ; 
and  as  He  in  the  fellowship  with  whom  it  from  thenceforth 
subsists  : — the  threefold  relation  in  which  God  stands  to 
mankind,  as  primal  ground,  mediator  and  end,  Creator,  Re¬ 
deemer  and  Sanctifier,  in  which  threefold  relation  the 
whole  Christian  knowledge  of  God  is  completely  an¬ 
nounced.  Accordingly,  all  is  herein  embraced  by  the  Apos¬ 
tle  Paul,  when  he  names  the  one  God  and  Father  of  all, 
who  is  above  all,  and  works  through  all,  and  in  all;  (Ephes. 
iv :  6  ;)  or  Him  from  whom  are  all  things  ; — when,  in  pro¬ 
nouncing  the  benediction,  he  sums  up  all  in  the  formula  : 
the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  God  as  the  living  God, 
the  God  of  mankind,  and  the  God  of  the  Church,  can  be 
known  truly  only  in  this  way.  This  shape  of  Theism 
presents  the  perfect  mean  between  the  wholly  extra-mun¬ 
dane  God  of  Deism,  and  the  God  brought  down  to,  and 
confounded  with,  the  world  of  Pantheism.”* 

*  History,  Vol.  I.  p.  572.  Dr.  Sartorius,  in  his  little  work  on  the  Person  and 
Work  of  Christ ,  defends  the  common  view,  but  not  without  a  tincture  of  philosophical 
speculation.  Nor  is  his  discussion  as  thorough  and  discriminating  as,  from  its  reputa¬ 
tion,  we  were  led  to  expect.  He  defends  the  unity,  and  identity  of  the  sacred  Trinity, 
and  adds  : — “  The  difference  is  only  this,  that  there  is  attributed  to  the  Father  an  abso¬ 
lute  self-existence  by  himself  alone ;  to  the  Son  the  same,  with  an  eternal  communica¬ 
tion  with  the  Father  ;  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  same,  by  an  eternal  communication 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son  ;  as  when  a  light,  when  it  is  doubled  or  trebled,  shines  in 
the  first  place  by  itself,  and  in  the  second  place  reflects  contemporaneously  with  it  out 
of  a  mirror,  and  thirdly,  with  the  reflection  shines  also  again  upon  another  mirror,  and 
yet  it  is  only  one  light.  There  is  afforded  to  us,  also,  the  simplest  explanation,  under  the 
figure  of  a  triangle,  since  these  three  angles,  in  various  ways,  make  up  one  and  the  same 
space.”  This  will  do  to  put  along  with  Martin  Farquhar  Tupper’s  string  of  natural 
triads,  among  which  are  the  triangle  and  the  trefoil ,  as  symbols  of  the  Trinity.  Strange, 
that  even  minds  of  ordinary  sagacity  can  beguile  themselves  or  their  readers  with  such 
absurdity ! 


17 


194 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


Neander,  however,  makes  a  just  distinction  between  the  on¬ 
tological  or  speculative  view  of  the  Trinity,  and  the  one  which 
he  calls  economic  or  practical ;  the  former,  as  he  says,  being 
an  intellectual  process  of  development,  passing  through  vari¬ 
ous  changes,  and  in  the  history  of  theological  investigation 
gradually  absorbing  the  practical.  On  this  ground  we 
conclude  that  the  ontological  view  is  a  matter  of  entire  un¬ 
certainty  ;  while  the  practical  one  is  the  true  and  scriptu¬ 
ral  view,  which  ought  to  lie  at  the  basis  of  all  our  faith. 
“  This,”  adds  Neander,  li  constituted  from  the  beginning, 
the  fundamental  consciousness  of  the  Catholic  church, 
while  forming  itself  in  its  conflict  with  the  opposite  theories 
of  the  heretical  sects.  It  is  that  which  forms  the  basis  of 
the  true  unity  of  the  church,  and  the  identity  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  consciousness  in  all  ages.”* 

We  turn,  then,  with  infinite  relish  to  this  economic,  or 
practical  view,  which,  without  speculation  or  theory  of  any 
kind,  finds  and  adores  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  thence 
derives  the  soul’s  true  and  everlasting  life.  This  is  the 


*  Church  History,  Vol.  I.  p.  573. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  century,  Irenaeus,  Bishop  of  Lyons,  in  his  work,  Ad- 
versus  Haeres.,  says,  u  The  church,  although  scattered  throughout  the  world,  has 
received  from  the  Apostles  and  their  disciples,  the  faith  in  one  God,  the  Father  Al¬ 
mighty,  etc.;  and  in  one  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  who  became  incarnate  foi 
our  salvation,  and  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  by  the  prophets  revealed  the  dispensa¬ 
tions — and  the  advent,  the  generation  from  a  virgin,  the  suffering  and  the  raising 
from  the  dead,  and  the  bodily  ascension  unto  heaven,  of  the  beloved  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord  ;  and  his  coming  from  heaven  in  the  glory  of  the  Father,  to  renew  all 
things,  and  raise  up  again  to  life  every  human  being  ; — that  to  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord  and  God,  our  Saviour  and  King,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Father 
invisible,  every  knee  may  bow,  and  every  tongue  confess.”  Adver.  Haeres.  Lib.  1. 
Cap.  2. 

So  long  as  this  practical  view  continued,  the  church  was  spiritual  and  prosper¬ 
ous  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  was  superseded  by  the  speculative  or  philosophical  view  of 
the  Doctors,  the  church  grew  languid  and  worldly, 


THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  195 


Pauline  view,  as  Neander  would  say,  the  view  also  of  Peter 
and  John,  of  all  the  Apostles  and  primitive  disciples.  It 
must,  then,  be  the  true  view ;  the  view,  especially,  which 
gives  peace,  and  hope,  and  joy  to  a  penitent  sinner.  u  God 
is  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself.”  This  is 
the  hope,  this  the  repose  of  the  spirit,  sin-burdened  and 
sorrowful.  In  this  connection,  how  full  of  meaning  the 
words  of  our  Saviour, — ■“  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest !”  How 
natural  and  becoming,  also,  that  fine  old  prayer,  of  mingled 
thanksgiving  and  supplication,  addressed  to  the  Father,  the 
Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Te  Deum,  Laudamus ,  as  it  is 
called : 

“We  praise  thee,  O  God  ;  we  acknowledge  thee  to  be  the 
Lord.  All  the  earth  doth  worship  thee,  the  Father  everlast¬ 
ing.  To  thee  all  Angels  cry  aloud  ;  the  Heavens  and  all 
the  Powers  therein.  To  thee,  Cherubim  and  Seraphim  con¬ 
tinually  do  cry,  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth; 
Heaven  and  Earth  are  full  of  the  Majesty  of  thy  Glory. 
The  glorious  company  of  the  Apostles  praise  thee.  The 
goodly  fellowship  of  the  Prophets  praise  thee.  The  noble 
army  of  Martyrs  praise  thee.  The  holy  Church,  through¬ 
out  all  the  world,  doth  acknowledge  thee,  the  Father  of 
an  infinite  Majesty ;  Thine  adorable,  true,  and  only  Son  ; 
also  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Comforter.  Thou  art  the  King 
of  Glory,  O  Christ.  Thou  art  the  everlasting  Son  of  the 
Father.  When  thou  tookest  upon  thee  to  deliver  man, 
thou  didst  humble  thyself  to  be  born  of  a  Virgin.  When 
thou  hadst,  overcome  the  sharpness  of  death,  thou  didst 


196 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


open  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to  all  believers.  Thou  sit- 
test  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  in  the  Glorj  of  the  Father. 
We  believe  that  thou  shalt  come  to  be  our  Judge.  We 
therefore  pray  thee,  help  thy  servants,  whom  thou  hast 
redeemed  with  thy  precious  blood.  Make  them  to  be  num¬ 
bered  with  thy  Saints,  in  glory  everlasting.  O  Lord,  save 
thy  people,  and  bless  thine  heritage.  Govern  them,  and 
lift  them  up  forever.  Day  by  day  we  magnify  thee  ;  and 

we  worship  thy  Name  ever,  world  without  end.”* * 

Ji 

*  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  ATONEMENT. 

Sin  is  the  separation  of  a  soul  from  God.  Whatever, 
then,  be  our  views  as  to  its  origin,  its  action,  or  its  mode 
of  transmission  in  the  world,  we  must  allow  that  it  is  the 
negative  of  all  goodness — the  antagonism,  so  to  speak,  of 
all  that  is  perfect  and  divine.  Sin,  therefore,  necessarily 
severs  the  soul  from  its  centre  and  its  end,  which  is  the 
same  thing  as  to  say,  that  it  is  the  soul’s  everlasting  death. 
u  The  wages  of  sin  is  death.”  This  is  not  simply  a  matter 
of  revelation,  but  of  actual  observation  and  experience. 
Man  has  sinned — sinned  deeply  and  grievously.  Nor  does 
it  affect  the  state  of  the  case,  whether  he  has  sinned  as  an 
individual,  or  as  a  race.  The  mournful  fact  remains  the 
same.  u  By  one  man,”  says  the  Apostle  Paul,  u  sin  entered 
into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed  upon 
all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned.”*  Everywhere,  in  all 
times,  and  among  all  nations,  this  fact  strikes  us.  Without 
a  revelation — in  other  words,  without  a  Gospel,  man  is  an 
idolater  or  an  atheist.  The  race  is  unregenerate.  In  this 
respect,  they  form  a  whole.  The  stream  rushes  in  one 
direction.  In  a  word,  man  is  apostate — in  a  state  of  apos- 


*  Epis.  Rom.  v.  12. 

17* 


198 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


tasis ,  or  voluntary  removal  from  God.  The  ship  has 
broken  from  its  moorings,  and  is  adrift  upon  the  wide  ocean, 
without  helm  or  compass,  tossed  by  wind  and  wave,  and 
without  the  power  of  reaching 

“  That  peaceful  shore, 

Where  tempests  never  beat,  nor  billows  roar.” 

“  The  whole  world,”  says  the  Apostle  Paul,  “  lieth  in 
wickedness” — (original,  u  lieth  in  the  wicked  one”) — like  an 
oarless,  sailless  vessel  in  the  eddying  current,  which  sweeps 
it  onward  and  afar.  Man,  indeed,  has  noble  traits,  and 
many  longings  after  the  good  and  true,  but  he  cannot  reach 
it.  His  disappointment,  in  this  respect,  is  proverbial.  Poets, 
orators,  philosophers,  as  well  as  theologians,  all  allow  it. 
He  is  not  as  bad  as  he  might  be ;  but  he  has  left  God,  and 
whither  and  how  far  he  may  wander,  who  can  tell  ?  Most 
clear  it  is,  that  he  is  “  without  God  and  without  hope  in 
the  world ;”  and  what  final  doom  of  despair  or  destruction 
that  involves,  all  can  imagine.  In  the  first  place,  he  is 
guilty,  and  therefore  condemned ;  secondly,  he  is  disordered 
and  wayward,  and  therefore  helpless.  The  Bible  describes 
him  as  “  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins” — far  from  God,  and 
w  nigh  unto  perishing.” 

What,  then,  is  demanded  for  the  salvation  of  man? 
Obviously  two  things  ;  first,  a  pardon,  full  and  free ;  sec- 
ondly,  regeneration,  vital  and  permanent ;  in  other  words,  a 
restoration  of  his  soul  to  the  lost  image  of  God.  But  how 
can  man  secure  all  this  ?  Can  you  bring  a  clean  thing  out 
of  an  unclean  ?  Can  the  helpless,  death-struck  spirit,  rise 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


i99 


from  the  abyss,  and  unite  itself  to  God  ?  No :  God  him* 
self  must  interpose.  The  Divinity  must  cross  the  mighty 
chasm,  and  unite  himself  with  man  ;  and  by  such  union, 
bring  him  back  to  holiness  and  heaven.  Man  is  condemned. 
God,  then,  must  forgive  him,  by  a  free  act  of  sovereign 
clemency.  Man  is  apostate.  God  must  restore  him  by  a 
new  moral  power.  Man  is  dead.  God  must  give  him  life. 
But  how  can  God  accomplish  this,  except  by  communicating 
himself,  as  the  Life  of  the  universe,  to  the  poor,  suffering, 
dying  race  of  man  ?  If  a  sacrifice  is  to  be  made  to  justice, 
he  must  make  it.  If  an  incarnation  is  indispensable,  in 
order  to  such  a  sacrifice,  he  must  u  manifest  himself  in  the 
flesh” — descending  to  the  depths  of  human  wretchedness, 
he  must  himself  achieve  the  work  of  our  redemption.  The 
law,  glorious  and  perfect  as  it  is,  cannot  do  this ;  for  it  is 
“  weak  through  the  flesh.”  No  man  or  angel  can  do  it ; 
for  every  man  is  a  sinner,  and  each  angel  depends  upon 
God  for  his  life,  and  has  none  to  communicate.  The  case 
is  peculiar,  and  demands  an  interference  and  a  process  on 
the  part  of  God,  the  most  peculiar  and  amazing.  In  a  word, 
he  must  provide  an  atonement — accomplish  a  reconciliation 
— meet  at  once  the  claims  of  justice  and  of  mercy — forgive 
the  sinner,  and,  in  that  very  act,  secure  his  transformation. 
Both  of  these,  the  justice  and  the  mercy,  the  pardon  and 
the  grace,  are  found  in  God  himself.  He  only  can  satisfy 
justice  and  mercy — He  only  can  satisfy  himself.  What¬ 
ever  is  necessary  to  this  issue,  he  must  do,  and  do  alone. 
i:  Herein  is  love  !”  God  became  incarnate.  God  made  the 
reconciliation.  Self-moved,  self-sustained,  he  achieved  a 


200 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


work,  by  which  he  can  be  just,  and  yet  justify  the  ungodly. 
He  gave  his  Son,  which  is  the  same  thing  as  to  say,  that 
he  gave  himself  to  be  “  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world.”  Thus 
he  takes  us  to  his  bosom — thus  he  pardons  us,  fully,  freely 
and  forever.  “We  love  him,  because  he  first  loved  us.” 
“We  joy  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ” — God 
being  the  primal  source,  Jesus  Christ,  incarnate  love 
and  purity,  the  agent — “  by  whom  we  have  received  the 
atonement.”* 

W  ithout  entering  into  any  critical  discussion  of  the  term, 
we  here  gain  a  true  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  atone¬ 
ment.  It  may  be  considered  as  a  means  or  as  an  end,  as 
a  sacrifice  or  atonement  proper,  or  as  the  result  of  that  sac¬ 
rifice  which  is  reconciliation,  at-one-ment — as  some,  with 
more  regard,  perhaps,  to  sound  than  sense,  have  expressed 
it— the  state  of  being  at  one ,  that  is,  united  and  peaceful. 
By  not  adverting  to  this  simple  but  important  distinction, 
inquirers  have  fallen  into  great  and  opposing  errors — one 
class  denying  the  true  idea  of  sacrifice  and  atonement,  and 
another,  while  retaining  that  idea,  failing  to  connect  it 
adequately  with  its  obvious  end  and  aim.  The  question 
ought  not  to  be,  whether  it  is  a  reconciliation ,  but  whether 
it  is  a  reconciliation  by  means  of  sacrifice.  “Without  the 
shedding  of  blood,”  says  Paul,  “  there  is  no  remission,” 
consequently  no  reconciliation.  Well,  then,  did  our  Saviour 


*  See  the  fifth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  where  this  idea  is  strikingly 
exhibited. 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


201 


shed  his  blood  for  the  remission  of  sins  ?  Did  he  die  as  a 
sacrifice  for  human  guilt?  In  a  word,  did  he  suffer  for  us , 
not  by  force  of  circumstances,  or  the  compulsion  of  his  ene¬ 
mies,  but  by  his  own  voluntary  choice,  and  in  view  of  the 
necessities  of  the  case?  For  if  such  an  interposition  was 
necessary,  the  result  must  be  reconciliation,  or  the  re-union 
of  God  and  man.  An  atonement  being  secured,  an  offer  of 
mercy  follows,  which,  accepted,  issues  in  remission,  restora¬ 
tion  and  eternal  life.  In  which  case  the  word  atonement 
( KaTaWayfj )  might  describe  either  the  cause  or  the  effect,  the 
means  or  the  end,  or,  with  still  greater  propriety,  both  to¬ 
gether.  In  the  Old  Testament,  all  reconciliations  between 
God  and  his  people  were  made  by  sacrifice,  or  shedding  of 
blood  ;  so  that,  in  Hebrew  phraseology,  the  term  atonement, 
or  reconciliation,  ever  involves  both  ideas.  If,  then,  the 
same  use  of  language  occurs  in  the  New  Testament,  how 
natural  to  say,  both  with  reference  to  the  work  of  Christ 
and  the  result  of  that  work,  a  We  joy  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  we  have  received  the  atonement.” 

The  whole  subject  resolves  itself  into  this  question,  What 
relation  does  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  hold  to  the  character 
and  government  of  God?  Was  it  a  simple  manifestation 
of  the  Divine  clemency,  a  formal  or  merely  liturgical  ex¬ 
pression  of  his  gracious  intentions ;  or  was  it  a  real  atone¬ 
ment,  and,  therefore,  a  necessary  condition  of  reconciliation 
and  remission  ?  Was  it,  in  any  sense,  a  satisfaction  to 
justice,  or,  if  you  please,  to  justice  and  mercy  combined  j 
for  the  grand  problem  to  be  solved,  is  the  union  of  these 
two  qualities  in  the  salvation  of  the  guilty  ? 


202 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


The  truth  is,  there  are  only  two  views  of  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  which  can  be  held,  with  any  degree  of  consistency ; 
the  one,  that  it  was  an  absolute  necessity,  the  other,  an 
incidental  expedient,  Those  who  take  the  former,  main¬ 
tain  that  it  sustained  a  most  important  relation  to  the  Divine 
government,  and  involved  the  idea  of  a  proper  expiation,  or 
satisfaction  in  law  ;  that  it  could  not  be  dispensed  with, 
and  thence,  that  the  death  of  Christ  was  an  absolute  pre¬ 
requisite  to  the  remission  of  sins.  Those  who  assume  the 
second  view,  regard  it  as  a  simple,  but  affecting  mode  of 
revealing  the  mercy  of  God,  without  any  inherent  or  legal 
necessity,  and  without  any  idea  of  expiation  or  satisfaction 
to  justice,  having  no  special  relation  to  the  Divine  govern¬ 
ment,  nor,  in  any  way,  procuring  the  remission  of  sins, 
except  by  producing  contrition  and  penitence  in  those  who 
receive  it.  In  the  one  case,  the  atonement  is  regarded  as 
a  necessary  act,  a  Divine  sacrifice,  in  which  the  claims  of 
justice  and  love  are  fully  met  and  vindicated,  with  a  view 
to  the  salvation  of  the  guilty.  In  the  other,  it  is  a  mere 
dramatic  or  liturgic  exhibition,  in  which  the  love  and  pity 
of  God  are  revealed,  in  striking,  but  not  necessary  forms. 
Go  behind  the  scenes,  the  advocates  of  this  latter  view 
might  say ;  go  behind  the  scenes,  and  there  is  nothing. 
The  entire  import  and  necessity  of  the  thing  lie  in  the 
expression.  It  is  the  love  of  God  written  in  characters  of 
blood.  The  sufferings  of  Christ  are  the  sufferings  only 
of  a  man,  or  at  least  of  a  God-inspired,  or  a  God-inhabited 
man.  Of  mystery  and  sacrifice,  in  their  ordinary  sense, 
there  is  here  absolutely  nothing.  Justice  has  nothing  to 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


203 


do  with  it ;  nor  mercy,  except  in  the  expression.  The 
whole  is  nothing  more  than  a  magnificent  and  affecting 
show. 

We  hold,  however,  that  the  death  of  Christ  had  a 
special  and  most  extraordinary  character,  that  it  was  a 
death  for  sin,  a  death  for  atonement,  a  sacrifice,  infinite 
and  amazing,  a  mystery,  the  most  transcendant  and 
affecting,  of  which  the  shame,  anguish,  and  blood,  were 
but  the  outward  symbols  and  expressions.  The  incarnation 
of  Christ  was  a  wonderful  and  overwhelming  fact,  but 
how  much  more  his  agony  in  the  garden  and  on  the  cross ! 

“  The  Son  of  God  in  tear‘s, 

Angels  with  wonder  see.” 

But  the  cross,  the  cross,  all  purple  with  his  blood,  this 
“  passeth  understanding  !”  As  a  cause,  then,  or  a  means  to 
an  end,  the  atonement  is  a  Divine  expiation.  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,  voluntarily  places  himself  under  the  action 
of  human  laws.  He  becomes  one  of  us,  puts  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  race,  and  assumes  our  interests.  As  “  the 
second  Adam,”  “  the  Lord  from  Heaven,”  he  consents  to 
act  as  our  Mediator  and  representative,  and  in  this  capacity, 
achieves  the  great  work  of  our  redemption.  In  order  to 
this,  he  takes  part  in  our  shame  and  degradation,  suffering 
death  itself  as  the  necessary  result.  Though  guiltless 
himself,  he  suffers  under  the  conditions  of  human  guilt. 
Assuming  our  nature,  and  standing  by  our  side,  he  permits 
to  come  upon  him,  in  their  most  appalling  forms,  those  ter¬ 
rible  evils  which  are  the  necessary  consequence,  not  of 


204 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


his,  but  of  our  sins.  He  who  knew  no  sin,  is  thus  made 
sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God. 

But,  secondly,  the  atonement  may  be  viewed  as  an  end 
or  a  result,  as  a  subjective,  as  well  as  an  objective  reality. 

Out  of  us,  it  is  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  by  means  of  suf¬ 
fering  and  death.  But  in  us,  and  as  a  result  of  this  great 
fact,  it  is  reconciliation  with  God.  Received  or  realized  by 
a  penitent,  it  forms  the  means  of  his  re-union  with  God,  or, 
as  it  is  sometimes  expressed,  at-one-ment,  between  God  and 
man.  “  Justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  Out  of  us,  as  an  object  of  faith, 
we  have  Christ  crucified,  or  the  great  doctrine  of  atonement 
and  sacrifice ;  in  us,  we  have  Christ  the  hope  of  glory,  that 
is,  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

In  this  way,  we  are  saved  by  “  the  Christ  without  us,” 
and  by  the  u  Christ  within  us.”  The  atonement  is  ob¬ 
jective  and  subjective  ;  objective  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  sub¬ 
jective  as  a  means  of  restoration  to  the  Divine  image ; 
objective  as  a  fact  or  a  truth,  subjective  as  a  principle  or  a 
life. 

In  correspondence  with  this  distinction,  two  things  are 
accomplished  for  man  by  the  mediation  and  atonement  of 
Christ.  In  the  first  place,  all  the  legal  obstructions  which 
prevented  the  exercise  of  the  Divine  clemency  towards  the 
guilty  and  fallen,  are  forever  removed.  “  Mercy  and  truth 
meet  together,  righteousness  and  peace  kiss  each  other” — 
all  unite  and  blend  in  this  Divine  method.  The  “  day  of 
vengeance  from  our  God,”  is  yet  11  the  acceptable  year  of 
the  Lord.”  The  justice  is  clemency,  the  clemency  is  jus- 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


205 


tice.  The  claims  of  the  Divine  government  are  fully  met, 
the  law  is  “  magnified  and  made  honorable,”  as  the  old 
divines  express  it,  and  by  that  very  means,  mercy  is  ex¬ 
tended  to  the  l£  vilest  of  the  vile.”  “  To  declare  his  right¬ 
eousness  for  the  remission  of  sins  that  are  passed,  through 
the  forbearance  (clemency)  of  God  ;  to  declare,  I  say,  at 
this  time,  his  righteousness,  that  he  might  be  just,  and  the 
justifier  of  him  who  believeth  in  Jesus.”* 

This  we  denominate  a  sacrifice  for  sin ;  an  expiation,  in 
the  proper  sense  of  the  term,  the  essence  of  which  is,  the 
just  suffering  for  the  unjust.  Such  a  sacrifice  was  de¬ 
manded  at  once  by  justice  and  love,  that  is,  by  the  very 
nature  of  God.  It  is  of  the  essence  both  of  righteousness 
and  grace.  Hence  its  endurance  cannot  be  regarded, 
properly  speaking,  as  a  positive  infliction,  or  as  an  actual 
punishment ;  but  simply  as  an  expiation,  through  voluntary 
suffering,  by  which  justice  is  vindicated,  while  mercy  is  se¬ 
cured.  It  satisfies  at  once  the  claims  of  law  and  of  grace. 
Neither  the  one  nor  the  other  can  demand  more.  It  is 
what  God  himself  demands  from  himself,  in  extending 
salvation  to  the  guilty.  He  cannot  act  capriciously  and  ille¬ 
gally — without  a  reason,  and  without  an  end.  He  is  himself 
law,  and  must  enthrone  justice  even  in  the  administration 
of  mercy.  u  For  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was 
weak  through  the  flesh,  God  sending  his  own  Son  in  the 
likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  (sin  offering)  con¬ 
demned  sin  in  the  flesh  ;  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law 


*  Rom.  iii.  25,  26. 

18 


206 


MANIFESTATION  OF  G  O  I) . 


might  be  fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but 
after  the  Spirit.”* 

How  evident  from  this,  that  the  sufferings  of  Christ  were 
vicarious  or  substitutionary.  Not  that  Christ  actually  suf¬ 
fered,  as  some  affirm,  what  all  the  redeemed,  but  for  him, 
would  have  suffered,  u  pang  for  pang,  spasm  for  spasm,” 
to  “  all  eternity”  ;  not  that  his  sufferings  are  a  literal,  me¬ 
chanical  or  commercial  equivalent  for  ours,  as  others  believe, 
but  that  they  are  a  substitute  for  such, — a  moral  equivalent, 
an  equivalent  in  law  and  justice,  which  makes  our  pardon 
and  salvation  consistent  with  the  highest  claims  of  right¬ 
eousness.  In  this  sense,  u  he  was  wounded  for  our  trans¬ 
gressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastise¬ 
ment  of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes  we 
are  healed.”  Our  guilt,  indeed,  was  not  literally  transferred 
to  him.  Guilt  is  personal,  is  of  the  essence  of  sin,  is  in¬ 
separable  from  a  vicious  state  or  a  vicious  act,  and  there¬ 
fore  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  transferable.  But  the  conse¬ 
quences  of  guilt  are  transferable.  The  innocent  may  suffer 
for  the  guilty,  suffer  that  which  the  guilty  alone  ought  to 
bear,  but  from  which  the  latter  is  delivered  by  such 
gracious  interposition.  The  innocent,  in  such  a  case, 
comes  in  between  the  guilty,  and  his  deserved  punishment. 
Whatever,  then,  the  innocent  may  suffer  with  such  an  end 
in  view,  is  a  substitution  for  the  punishment  of  the  guilty. 
It  may  not  itself  be  punishment ;  for  an  innocent  man 
cannot,  properly  speaking,  be  punished.  He  may  suffer  as 


*  Romans,  viii.  3. 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


207 


an  evil-doer,  but  he  is  not  an  evil-doer ;  and  his  sufferings 
on  account  of  sin,  however  intense  and  overwhelming,  are 
not  absolute  punishment.  He  cannot  feel  them  as  such— - 
he  is  innocent,  and  suffers  with  the  consciousness  not  of  a 
guilty,  but  of  a  guiltless  man.  There  is  an  immense  dif¬ 
ference  between  suffering  for  ourselves  and  suffering  for 
others.  The  one,  may  be  a  punishment  justly  merited  ; 
the  other  may  be  an  atonement,  voluntarily  chosen,  and 
patiently  endured.  By  connecting  himself  with  an  evil¬ 
doer,  assuming  his  interests  and  destiny,  with  a  view  to  his 
rescue  and  reform,  a  good  man  may  subject  himself  to 
painful  trials,  which  but  for  him,  would  come  upon  the  evil¬ 
doer  alone,  and  which  the  latter  justly  deserves.  But  the 
good  man  is  upheld  by  conscious  rectitude,  and  for  the  joy 
set  before  him,  endures  the  cross  and  despises  the  shame. 

In  the  same  way  Christ  suffers  for  us.  For  his  sake, 
we  are  forgiven  and  saved.  His  death  upon  the  cross  has 
averted  our  death  in  hell.  Justice  is  satisfied  that  we 
should  be  “  saved  from  wrath  through  him.”  Had  he  not 
suffered,  we  must  have  perished.  Becoming  man,  and  as¬ 
suming  our  position  as  a  condemned  race,  he  endured  what 
we  alone  ought  to  endure,  pain,  anguish  and  death,  as  the 
necessary  results  of  sin.  His  sufferings,  therefore,  are  in 
the  stead  of  ours.  They  bring  us  pardon  and  everlasting 
life.  “  When  we  were  without  strength,  in  due  time  Christ 
died  for  the  ungodly.” 

The  sufferings  of  Christ,  then,  were  not  in  all  respects 
the  same  as  ours  would  have  been,  had  he  not  interfered  on 
our  behalf ;  for  the  innocent  cannot  suffer,  in  every  particu- 


208 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD, 


lar,  as  those  must  who  are  personally  guilty.  But  as  far 
as  an  innocent  being  can  suffer  for  the  guilty,  Christ  suf¬ 
fered  for  us.  His  agonies  were  immense  and  overwhelming ; 
so  that  in  the  end,  the  transference  or  exchange  of  suffer¬ 
ing  Gomes  to  the  same  thing  as  the  transference  or  ex¬ 
change  of  guilt.*  Even  if  there  be  some  difference  in  the 
kind  of  endurance,  the  one  stands  in  the  stead  of  the  other. 
Christ  did  not  sin  for  us ;  he  suffered  for  our  sins. 

(Here  we  discover  the  relation  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ 
to  the  love  of  God.  “For  a  righteous  man  will  one  die, 
peradventure  for  a  good  man,  some  would  even  dare  to  die ; 
j  but  God  commendeth  his  love  towards  us,  in  that  while  we 
were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.”  The  necessity  for 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  grows  out  not  only  of  the  justice 
of  God,  and  his  consequent  abhorrence  of  sin,  but  of  his 
love  and  compassion  for  the  sinner.  But  he  could  not  con- 
fer  grace  in  an  absolute  way  ;  this  were  to  defeat  its  pur¬ 
pose.  He  must  confer  it  in  harmony  with  law.  The 
administration  of  justice  must  have  its  legitimate  course. 
Sin  must  be  punished.  Hence,  if  grace  cannot  be  conferred 
without  a  sacrifice,  that  sacrifice  must  be  provided,  in  con- 
I  nection  with  grace.  Indeed,  it  must  form  a  part  of  grace  ; 
so  that  the  atonement, is  an  act  at  once  of  judgment  and 
of  mercy.  “  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  might  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.” 

\  '  “  ~ 

*  It  >s  in  this  sense  that  guilt  may  be  said  to  be  imputed,  though  not  transferred. 

Charged  to  Christ  by  his  voluntary  adoption  of  our  interests,  as  a  condemned  race,  he 
suffered  its  consequences,  but  suffered  them  as  a  being  perfectly  innocent. 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


209 


What  an  interesting  light  this  sheds  upon  the  perfection 
of  the  Divine  administration,  the  harmony  of  the  Divine 
attributes  !  “  God  is  love.”  Hence,  he  is  immutably  gra¬ 
cious  and  merciful,  “  slow  to  anger,  abundant  in  goodness, 
forgiving  iniquity,  transgression  and  sin.”  His  mercy, 
therefore,  is  not  purchased,  as  some  hyper-orthodox  teachers 
affirm,  by  the  atonement  of  Christ.  For,  how  could  that 
be  purchased  by  the  atonement,  which  provided  the  atone¬ 
ment,  and  through  that  stupendous  sacrifice,  goes  forth  to 
redeem  a  guilty  race  ?  The  atonement  purchased  us  ;  but 
mercy  gave  the  price.  In  this  act,  God  and  Christ  are  one. 
But  God  even  in  his  mercy  must  be  just.  His  love  is  a 
holy  love,  and  ever  supports  the  right.  But  his  mercy 
is  unbought  and  everlasting.  Nay,  it  is  his  very  nature, 
and  not  only  prompted,  but  completed  the  whole  work  of 
our  redemption.  It  embodied  itself  in  the  life  and  death 
of  Christ.  Herein  is^love !  Herein  is  God ! 

Not  only  are  all  legal  obstructions  thus  removed  to  the 
salvation  of  man,  but,  secondly,  a  sufficient  moral  power  is 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  soul,  to  effect  its  renovation.  As 
we  have  said,  God  is  here,  brought  home  to  the  heart  by  a 
new  and  peculiar  manifestation,  which  none  who  receive  it 
can  resist.  This  convinces  us  of  sin.  This  quells  our 
pride.  This  humbles  and  exalts  us.  This  inspires  us  at 
once  with  penitence  and  gratitude,  with  adoration  and  joy. 
u  The  love  of  Christ  const raineth  us,  because  we  thus  judge, 
that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead,  that  we  who 
live  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  ourselves  but  unto  him 

who  died  and  rose  again.”  Beautiful  is  earth,  in  the  smile 

18* 


210 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


of  God — -beautiful  the  face  of  man,  or  angel,  glowing  with 
the  love  and  purity  of  the  skies.  But  they  grow  dim  in 
the  presence  of  the  dying  Son  of  God,  through  whose  pale 
but  majestic  countenance  streams  all  the  glory  of  uncreated 
love  !  I  see  it— I  feel  it — through  all  my  soul  I  feel  it ;  and 
from  that  dark  chaos  within,  comes  forth  a  new  creation  of 
order  and  beauty ;  while  the  morning  stars  sing  together, 
and  all  the  sons  of  God  shout  for  joy. 

This,  then,  is  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement  as  held  by 
the  universal  church,  reconciliation  between  God  and  man, 
restoration  and  reunion,  by  virtue  of  the  expiatory  sacrifice, 
or  substitutionary  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ.  Not  reconcil¬ 
iation,  simply,  or  the  reunion  of  two  parties  at  variance,  by 
the  reparation  or  the  reformation  of  the  offender,  but  recon¬ 
ciliation  through  a  proper  expiation.  The  eyes  of  a  guilty 
sinner  are,  therefore,  first  of  all,  directed  to  Jesus  Christ, 
who  is  “raised  up  a  Prince  and  a<£aviour,  to  give  repent¬ 
ance  to  Israel,  and  the  remission  of  sins.”  The  blood ,  the 
death  of  Christ,  “  cleanseth  from  all  sin.”  Atonement  or 
expiation  first,  then  remission,  penitence  and  hope,  trans¬ 
formation  and  eternal  joy. 

This  view  of  the  atonement,  which  we  deem  fundamen¬ 
tal,  has  been  denied  by  the  Unitarians  and  others,  who  hold 
that  we  are  reconciled  to  God,  not  by  means  of  a  substitu¬ 
tionary  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  Christ,  but  by  the  moral 
influence  of  his  character  and  teachings  over  our  hearts 
and  lives.  On  this  ground  they  maintain  that  we  are  for¬ 
given,  not  in  consideration  of  what  Christ  has  done,  but  in 
consideration  of  our  own  penitence  and  reformation ;  that 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


211 


the  law  demanded  no  satisfaction,  and  that  none  was  given 
in  the  death  of  Christ,  and  thence  that  atonement  consists 
in  our  returning  to  God,  with  penitent  and  believing  hearts  ! 
This  they  say  is  produced  by  the  life  and  teachings  of 
Jesus,  whose  death  was  not  an  expiation,  or  sacrifice  to 
justice,  but  an  attestation  to  the  truth,  an  example  of  endu¬ 
rance  and  self-denial,  or,  at  best,  a  demonstration  of  the 
Divine  purity  and  love.  Others,  again,  admit  that  the  suf¬ 
ferings  of  Christ  are  vicarious  and  substitutionary,  but 
only  in  appearance  and  form  ;  that  the  atonement  is  a  man¬ 
ifestation  of  the  Divine  love  issuing  in  the  transformation 
of  the  sinner,  but  not,  as  we  contend,  a  sacrifice  for  sin.* 
They  find,  indeed,  a  sacrificial  or  expiatory  character  in  the 
mere  outward  form,  or  what  has  been  called  the  liturgical 
aspect  of  the  doctrine  :  but  what  is  this,  when  separated 
from  its  reality  or  essence  ?  The  atonement  is  either  an 
expiation  or  not.  If  an  expiation  or  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  it  is 
such  in  its  very  nature  and  essence,  not  simply  in  its  out¬ 
ward  form  or  figurative  representation.  The  form  or  liturgy, 
that  is,  the  ritual  and  outward  representation  of  a  doc¬ 
trine,  to  be  good  for  anything,  must  correspond  with  its  in¬ 
ward  spirit.  Otherwise  the  form  deceives  us !  If  the 
atonement  or  expiation  is  only  in  the  words,  or  in  the  ritual, 
figurative  aspect  of  the  doctrine,  not  in  the  doctrine  itself, 
it  is  nothing — at  least  nothing  tangible.  The  whole  thing 
is  a  play  upon  words,  and  leaves  the  matter  precisely 
where  it  was.  The  true  idea  of  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  of  vica- 

*  This  is  the  view  of  Schleiermacher  and  some  of  the  German  theologians.  It  is 
also  the  view  of  Coleridge  and  his  followers 


212 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


rious  atonement  by  the  death  of  Christ,  is  denied  ;  and  we 
are  compelled  to  place  this  view  in  the  same  category  with 
that  of  the  Unitarian  divines,  who  deny  in  every  sense 
the  doctrine  of  a  true  expiation  or  atonement  for  sin,  and 
the  propriety  of  relying  upon  the  sufferings  or  merits  of 
Christ,  as  a  ground  of  justification  before  God.# 

As  an  exposition  of  this  view,  let  us  quote  a  few  passages 
from  Dr.  Gannet’s  Tract  on  the  Atonement,  published  by 
the  Unitarian  Association.  “Reconciliation,”  says  he,  p.  1, 
“is  the  heart  of  the  doctrine.  Its  whole  vitality,  meaning 
and  value  reside  here.”  “  Upon  the  sinner’s  return  to  God,” 
p.  5,  “  God  ceases  to  impute  his  sins  unto  him,  or  to  con¬ 
sider  him  any  longer  as  a  guilty  person.  *  *  *  And 

since  he  is  led  to  this  change  of  habits,  inward  and  out¬ 
ward,  by  the  instructions  of  Christ,  expressed  both  by  his 


*  This,  perhaps,  is  a  little  too  strongly  stated.  It  applies,  indeed,  to  the  great  majority 
of  Unitarian  teachers  ;  but  there  are  exceptions  to  the  rule.  Dr.  Channing,  and  a  few 
others,  never  fully  abandoned  some  of  the  higher  elements  of  orthodox  belief,  and  held 
to  a  view  of  the  death  of  Christ,  in  one  feature,  at  least,  akin  to  that  which  makes  it  an 
atonement  or  expiation  proper.  “Many  of  us,”  says  he,  Works,  4th  Ed.  p.  318,  “are 
dissatisfied  with  this  explanation,”  namely,  that  ‘the  mediation  of  Christ  procures  for¬ 
giveness  by  leading  to  that  repentance  and  virtue,  which  is  the  great  and  only  condition 
upon  which  forgiveness  is  bestowed,’  “  and  think  that  the  Scriptures  ascribe  the  re¬ 
mission  of  sins  to  Christ’s  death,  with  an  emphasis  so  peculiar,  that  we  ought  to  con¬ 
sider  this  event  as  having  a  special  influence ,  in  removing  punishment ,  though  the 
Scriptures  may  not  reveal  the  way  in  which  it  contributes  to  this  end.”  This  is  a  most 
important  admission;  but  fatal  to  the  Unitarian  view  of  the  atonement,  as  generally 
held.  For  we  have,  in  the  work  of  Christ,  a  real  mediation  or  none.  If  Jesus  did  not 
make  a  proper  expiation  for  siny  he  was  nothing  more  than  a  teacher,  a  revealer,  or  at 
best  a  manifestation  of  the  Divine  character.  If  his  death  was  not  a  real  propitiation 
for  sin,  it  was  a  simple  attestation  to  the  truth.  In  which  case  we  are  saved,  not  by 
faith,  but  by  works,  not  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God,  but  by  the  penitence  and  purity 
of  our  own  hearts;  and  Mr.  Parker,  Mr.  Emerson  and  others,  who  have  renounced  the 
Unitarian  theolgy  as  shallow  and  powerless,  are  justified  in  rejecting  the  very  idea  of 
mediation,  and  representing  man  as  his  own  Saviour,  and  redemption  as  the  result  of 
his  own  individual  action.  In  this  view,  what  are  we  to  think,  not  of  a  real,  but  of  a 
liturgical  atonement  ? 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


213 


words  and  his  life — in  what  he  said,  did  and  was,  through 
the  various  course  of  his  ministry,  from  the  baptism  of  the 
Jordan,  by  which  he  was  introduced  to  the  mediatorial 
work,  to  the  baptism  of  the  cross,  by  which  he  was  intro¬ 
duced  to  the  glory  of  its  accomplishment — therefore  the 
sinner  is  justified,  sanctified  and  saved  through  Jesus  Christ 
— through  him  man  receives  the  atonement,  and  the  world 
is  reconciled  to  God.”  He  goes  on  to  say  that  this  is  not 
the  current  doctrine  of  the  church,  and  that  repentance  is 
all  that  is  necessary  to  the  Divine  favor,  and  consequently 
that  the  death  of  Christ  becomes  available  for  our  redemp¬ 
tion,  simply  from  the  moral  influence  which  it  exerts  over 
us.  He  insists  strongly  that  it  had  no  effect  whatever 
upon  God  or  his  government ;  but  that  its  effect  terminates 
upon  us,  in  reconciling  us  to  God,  by  producing  our  repent¬ 
ance  and  reformation;  and  adds,  p.  10,  “I  consider  the 
popular  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  under  whatever  modifica¬ 
tion  it  may  be  held,  as  false  and  injurious.”*  His  position, 
therefore,  is  that  the  death  or  atonement  of  Christ,  in  itself, 
has  no  efficacy  to  procure  the  pardon  of  the  guilty,  and  that 
the  only  efficacy  in  the  case  is  to  be  ascribed  to  penitence 
and  reformation  ;  so  that  it  is  only  in  a  general  and  figura¬ 
tive,  perhaps  liturgical  sense,  that  we  are  said  to  be  saved 
by  the  blood  of  Christ.  Literally  and  properly,  we  are  saved 
by  penitence  and  reformation,  the  result  of  the  death  and 

*  Properly  speaking,  the  death  of  Christ  did  not  reconcile  God  to  us.  But  it  justified 
him,  on  the  fundamental  principles  of  righteousness,  in  reconciling  us  to  himself.  It 
entered  into  the  very  essence  of  his  government,  and  proved  him  just  while  justifying 
the  ungodly. 


214 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


teachings  of  Christ,  in  their  influence  upon  our  moral  na¬ 
ture.  On  this  theory  all  ideas  of  expiation,  atonement,  sac¬ 
rifice  and  substitutionary  suffering,  taken  in  their  ordinary 
sense,  are  false  and  pernicious.  Jesus  is  not  a  priest — he 
offers  no  sacrifice,  makes  no  expiation,  except  by  a  figure 
or  a  form  of  speech  !  W  e  are  forgiven  and  accepted  for 
Christ’s  sake,  or  in  the  name  of  Christ,  not  because  Christ 
has  died  and  satisfied  the  claims  of  justice  as  well  as  love 
on  the  behalf  of  the  penitent,  but  because  we  ourselves,  en¬ 
lightened  by  his  teaching  and  example,  repent  and  reform. 
“  Repentance  f  he  says,  p.  14,  “  secures  the  Divine  favor  by 
a  necessary  action.  Repentance  cancels  the  past,  satisfies 
justice,  saves  the  sinner.”  “  The  supposition  that  the  death 
of  Christ  was  necessary ,”  (in  government  and  law,)  “to 
procure  the  pardon  of  the  guilty,  is  therefore  gratuitous,  and 
founded  upon  a  misapprehension  of  the  nature  of  forgive¬ 
ness.”  It  follows  from  this,  that  if  repentance  occur  from 
any  other  cause  than  the  death  of  Christ,  or  without  the 
slightest  reference  to  that  event,  it  will  secure  pardon  and 
everlasting  life  ;  whence  we  may  be  justified,  not  by  “faith 
in  Christ,”  but  by  “  the  deeds  of  the  law.”  “  The  doctrine,” 
says  he,  p.  19,  “  which  ascribes  to  the  death  of  Christ  an 
efficacy,  whether  vicarious,  meritorious  or  mysterious,  in 
procuring  the  pardon  of  the  penitent,  is  irrational.”  All 
such  notions,  according  to  the  author,  “  dissolve  at  the  touch 
of  reason.”  “  It  is  a  false  interpretation,”  says  he,  “  which 
sees,  in  the  language  of  the  New  Testament  concerning 
the  death  of  Christ,  an  assertion  of  any  other  than  a  moral 
influence  issuing  from  the  cross.”  (p.  23.)  Hence,-  (p.  28,) 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


215 


he  condemns  and  repudiates  u  the  conduct  of  the  conscience- 
stricken  sinner,  who,”  under  the  influence  of  the  popular 
views  of  the  atonement,  “  makes  Christ  his  refuge,  as  if,” 
he  adds,  “  the  mercy  of  God  were  not  large  enough  to  over¬ 
shadow  him.  The  djung  believer  leans  on  the  merits  of 
Christ,  as  he  has  been  taught  to  style  services  which  are 
sadly  misrepresented  by  such  a  term,  and  when  pointed  to 
the  mercy  of  God,  feebly  reiterates  that  he  trusts  in  his 
Saviour.”  “  To  me,”  says  Dr.  Gannet,  with  startling  con¬ 
sistency,  “language  of  this  kind  is  indescribably  painful. 
It  robs  the  death-bed  of  the  sincere  Christian  of  half  the 
influence  which  I  wish  it  to  exert  over  me.” 

The  writer  of  this  tract  on  the  atonement  is  an  amiable 
and  learned  man,  the  successor  of  the  eloquent  and  gifted 
Channing ;  but  we  are  compelled,  in  opposition  to  its  entire 
spirit  and  purport,  to  say,  that  we  have  not  “  so  learned 
Christ.”  It  seems,  as  Robert  Hall  pointedly  remarks,  with 
reference  to  similar  views,  “  not  so  much  to  mistake  as  to 
contradict  the  Word  of  God.”  There  can  be  but  little 
question,  we  think,  as  Channing  himself  is  compelled  to 
allow,  that  the  Scriptures  ascribe  to  the  death  of  Christ  a 
special  efficacy  in  procuring  the  pardon  of  the  guilty ;  that 
Christ  died  for  us ,  as  one  would  die  in  the  stead  of  a  dear 
friend  whom  he  washed  to  save ;  that  the  death  of  Christ 
is  a  proper  sacrifice  for  sin ;  and  although  repentance  and 
reformation  are  necessary  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  Divine 
favor,  and  the  restoration  of  the  soul  to  his  image,  yet  we 
are  forgiven,  not  for  our  penitence  and  good  works,  but  for 
Christ’s  sake.  On  which  ground  we  affirm  that  it  is  scrip- 


216 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


tural  and  proper  to  trust  in  Christ — to  make  him  the  rest 
and  refuge  of  our  soul — to  plead  his  merits ,  which  are  the 
expression  of  the  Divine  mercy,  and  the  medium  of  the  Di¬ 
vine  forgiveness ;  “  for  we  have  redemption  through  his 
blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches 
of  his  grace.”  To  us,  Christ  and  God  are  one,  and  he 
that  commits  his  spirit  to  Christ,  commits  it,  by  that  very 
act,  to  God ;  and  hence  it  is  a  glorious  thing,  in  the  hour 
of  death,  to  reiterate,  not  feebly  but  triumphantly,  that  we 
“  trust  in  our  Saviour.” 

“Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 

Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are, 

While  on  his  breast  I  lean  my  head, 

And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there.” 

Nay,  more;  we  feel  that  it  will*be  yet  more  glorious  and 
delightful,  amid  the  splendors  of  heaven,  to  unite  with  those 
“  who  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb,”  in  ascriptions  of  praise  and  adora¬ 
tion  to  “  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb 
forever  and  ever !” 

Those  who  deny  the  vicarious  or  substitutionary  nature 
of  the  atonement,  it  appears  to  us,  utterly  misconceive  its 
nature  and  design,  and  find  difficulties  where  there  are 
none.  Why  should  it  be  thought  an  incredible  or  an  un¬ 
reasonable  thing,  that  the  innocent  should  suffer  for  the 
guilty ,  with  a  view  to  their  salvation  ?  If  this  cannot  be 
established  as  a  general  rule ;  if  it  cannot  be  vindicated,  in 
all  cases,  under  human  governments  and  laws,  why  object 
to  it  in  a  case  so  special  and  extraordinary  as  the  one  under 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


217 


consideration?  Why,  especially,  object  to  it,  if  God  him¬ 
self,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Saviour 
and  the  saved,  enter  into  it,  as  the  one  method  which  sus¬ 
tains  the  majesty  of  justice,  and  the  tenderness  of  love?  It 
is  a  special  and  extraordinary  interposition.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  universe  like  it.  It  stands  alone,  a  solitary  monu¬ 
ment  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  the  Almighty,  a 
method  of  pardon  and  salvation  which  He  approves,  which 
is  the  expression  at  once  of  his  justice  and  his  grace,  which 
meets  all  the  exigencies  of  the  case,  sustains  the  Divine 
government,  and  restores  the  sinner  to  purity  and  heaven. 

All  errors  upon  this  subject  arise  from  separating  the 
being  and  work  of  Christ  from  the  being  and  work  of  God, 
as  if  they  had  diverse  interests  and  diverse  designs  in  the 
matter  of  human  redemption.  Let  them  be  united,  and  all 
is  plain.  The  sacrifice  of  Christ  is,  then,  the  sacrifice  of 
God,  and  is  made  only  to  justice  and  love,  which  are  thus 

* 

enthroned  over  all  the  powers  and  influences  of  the  uni¬ 
verse.  Then,  to  believe  in  Christ,  to  trust  in  Christ,  or  in  his 
merits  or  his  righteousness,  is  to  trust  in  God,  and  in  God 
alone. 

On  this  ground  the  efficacy  of  the  atonement  is  ascribed 
to  the  infinite  worth  and  dignity  of  our  Saviour’s  person,  and 
in  connection  with  this,  to  the  fact  that  by  his  incarnation 
he  became  our  representative,  by  taking  to  himself,  not  the 
nature  of  angels,  but  the  seed  of  Abraham.  “  His  assump¬ 
tion  of  human  nature,”' says  Robert  Hall,  in  his  sermon  on 
‘  The  Substitution  of  the  Innocent  for  the  Guilty,’  “  made 

his  oblation  of  himself  possible ;  his  possession  of  the  Db 

19 


218 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


vine  rendered  it  efficient ;  and  thus  weakness  and  power,  the 
imperfections  incident  to  a  frail  and  mortal  creature,  and 
the  exemption  from  these,  the  attributes  of  time  and  of  eter¬ 
nity,  the  elements  of  being  most  opposite,  and  deduced  from 
opposite  worlds,  equally  combined  to  give  efficacy  to  his 
character  as  the  Redeemer,  and  validity  to  his  sacrifice.” 

Here  let  it  be  especially  remarked,  that  on  the  principles 
we  have  laid  down,  the  atonement  could  make  no  change 
in  the  attributes  and  government  of  God ;  none  in  his  sen¬ 
timents  and  feelings  towards  man ;  for  he  was  ever  the  God 
of  purity  and  love,  and  the  atonement  was  the  provision  and 
expression  of  that  love.  Whatever  is  in  the  effect,  is  also 
in  the  cause ;  and  all,  therefore,  which  was  accomplished 
by  that  atonement,  existed,  as  a  thought  or  a  sentiment,  a 
quality  or  an  attribute,  in  the  heart  of  God.  It  could  not, 
therefore,  change  his  character  or  his  dispositions  towards 
men ;  it  merely  changed  his  relations,  or  the  relations  of 
his  government  to  the  guilty,  by  making  it  right  and  be¬ 
coming  in  God,  as  a  moral  governor,  to  propose  terms  of  re¬ 
conciliation,  and  receive  the  penitent  to  the  bosom  of  his 
love.  To  whom,  then,  or  to  what  was  the  atonement 
made?  To  God  himself,  or  rather  to  justice  and  love. 
These  demanded  the  sacrifice ;  and  to  magnify  these,  to 
give  them  scope  and  lustre  in  the  salvation  of  the  world, 
the  eternal  Father  himself  made  the  sacrifice.  It  was  a 
work  of  principle — a  work  of  righteousness  and  love — the 
most  stupendous  and  thrilling  that  ever  has  been  made,  or 
ever  can  be  made.  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son  ;  sparing  him  not,  but  giving  him  up 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


219 


to  the  death  for  us  all ;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
might  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life ! 

This  view  saves  us  from  the  objections  of  those  who  rep¬ 
resent  a  vicarious  atonement  as  injurious  to  the  character 
of  God,  making  it,  so  to  speak,  less  amiable  than  that  of 
Christ,  and  consequently  attracting  men  rather  to  Christ 
than  to  God.  Occasionally,  indeed,  orthodox  writers  and 
preachers  have  done  the  cause  of  truth  a  serious  injury,  by 
inconsiderate  and  declamatory  appeals,  in  which,  with  sin¬ 
gular  inconsistency,  they  have  represented  God  the  Father 
as  demanding  justice  without  mercy;  and  the  thunders  of 
his  vengeance  hurled  against  a  guilty  race,  as  intercepted 
by  Jesus  Christ,  and  quenched  in  his  atoning  blood !  Like 
Jupiter  on  Olympus,  his  red  right  arm  bared  for  destruction, 
God  has  been  described  rather  as  a  tyrant  and  a  fiend,  than 
as  a  Governor  and  a  Father;  while  Jesus  Christ,  in  his 
gentleness  and  self-sacrifice,  has  been  contrasted  with  the 
stern  severity  and  furious  vengeance  of  the  Almighty,  just 
as  if  he  were  not  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  but  a  being, 
with  a  different  character  and  separate  interests.  God  and 
Christ  are  one ;  one  in  nature,  one  in  aim  The  humanity 
of  Christ  is  but  the  form  or  medium  of  the  indwelling 
Deity.  Even  when  on  the  cross,  it  might  have  been  said 
of  him,  “  This  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  Life.”  The 
sacrifice  was  made  to  justice,  and  not  only  to  justice,  but  to 
mercy ,  made  by  the  Father,  made  by  the  Son,  as  the  outgoing 
and  expression  of  that  everlasting  Love  which  is  exhaust¬ 
less  as  the  nature,  and  unchangeable  as  the  existence  of 
God. 


220 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


We  maintain,  therefore,  that  vicarious  or  substitutionary 
suffering,  is  of  the  very  essence  of  the  atonement,  and  such 
suffering,  moreover,  as  to  give  it  infinite  worth  and  efficacy. 
In  numberless  forms  is  this  great  fact  taught  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  Indeed,  it  pervades  them,  as  light  pervades  the 
heavens,  giving  tone  and  color  to  the  whole.  It  is  the  fun¬ 
damental  truth  of  the  remedial  system  ;  it  is  the  only  one 
which  gives  us  the  true  idea  of  God,  of  redemption,  regenera¬ 
tion  and  everlasting  life.  It  is  taught,  for  example,  in  those 
passages  which  represent  the  work  of  Christ  as  a  sin-offering , 
or  as  a  propitiation  for  sin, — as  a  death  of  the  innocent  for  the 
guilty ,  of  the  just  for  the  unjust — as  a  suffering  for  sin ,  for  re - 
mission ,  for  reconciliation ,  for  the  ungodly ,  for  sinners  ; — in  all 
those  which  represent  Christ  as  the  substance  or  antitype 
of  the  Jewish  priesthood  and  atonements ,  as  the  One  High 
Priest ,  who  offers  the  one  sacrifice  for  the  remission  of  the 
sins  of  many,  who  makes  an  oblation  of  himself,  and  enters 
once  for  all ,  and  for  the  benefit  of  all,  into  the  Holy  Place , 
with  his  own  blood ,  as  the  Son  of  God  who  through  the 
eternal  Spirit  offered  himself  without  spot  unto  God,  as  the 
Lamb  of  God  who  taketh,  (beareth)  away  the  sins  of  the 
world — as  our  paschal  Lamb  sacrificed  for  us  ;  in  all  those 
passages,  which  represent  his  blood ,  as  cleansing  from  sin, 
as  shed  for  remission  of  sin,  as  washing  away  sin ;  all 
those  which  describe  him  as  made  sin ,  made  a  curse  for  us , 
as  giving  himself  for  us,  giving  his  life  a  ransom  for  many, 
as  wounded  for  our  transgressions ,  bruised  for  our  iniquities, 
suffering  the  chastisement  of  our  peace,  and  working  out  an 
everlasting  righteousness  which  might  be  unto  all  and 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


221 


upon  all  them  that  believe ;  in  a  word,  as  sinless ,  yet  suffer¬ 
ing  like  a  sinner ,  voluntarily  bearing  our  sins  in  his  own 
body  on  the  tree ,  and  thus  offering  to  justice  an  adequate 
expiation  for  the  guilt  of  the  world.* 

The  whole  system  of  the  Jewish  ritual  was  formed  on 
the  principle  of  sacrifice  and  atonement.  All  the  shedding 
of  blood,  without  which  there  could  be  no  remission,  fore¬ 
shadowed  the  substitution  and  sacrifice  of  Christ,  and  de¬ 
rived  its  significance  and  moral  influence  from  this  fact. 
Sin,  confessed  and  abjured  by  the  congregation,  was  put 
upon  the  head  of  the  victim,  as  on  the  great  day  of  atone¬ 
ment,  signifying  the  pardon  of  sin,  by  the  sacrifice  of  an¬ 
other,  slain  in  the  sinner’s  stead.  If  this  was  not  its  signi¬ 
fication  and  design,  it  was  the  merest  superstition,  a 
superstition  utterly  unworthy  of  a  Divine  appointment  and 
sanction.  But  these  ritual  observances,  and  especially 
these  sacrifices  of  atonement,  St.  Paul  informs  us,  were 
shadows  of  good  things  to  come.  The  body ,  he  tells  us,  was 
Christ.  His  death  and  atonement  cast  these  shadows, 
gave  them  import  and  value.  In  him  they  had  their  ful¬ 
fillment  and  explanation.  Upon  this  subject  the  Apostle 
reasons  very  strikingly  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews. 
For  as  the  ancient  High-Priest  entered  into  the  Holy  of 
Holies,  once  a  year,  with  the  sacrifice  of  atonement,  so 
Christ  entered  with  his  own  blood  into  the  Holy  Place, 
having  obtained  eternal  redemption  for  us.  “  For  Christ,” 

*  See  Romans,  v.  6 — 8.  2  Cor.  v.  14,  15.  Heb.  ii.  9.  1  Thess.  v.  10.  Ephes.  v.  2. 
1  John,  x.  15.  Gal.  i.  3,  4.  1  Peter,  iii.  18.  Rom.  vi.  10.  1  Cor.  xv.  3.  Matt.  xxvi.  28. 
Ephes.  i.  7.  Heb.  i.  3.  1  John,  i.  7.  Isaiah,  liii.  3,  6.  Gal.  iii.  13.  Heb.  vii.  26,  27. 
Heb.  ix.  15.  Rev.  iv.  8,  9  ;  v.  13, 14. 


19* 


222 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


says  he,  Heb.  ix.  24,  u  is  not  entered  into  the  Holy  Places, 
made  with  hands  which  are  the  figures  of  the  true  ;  but 
into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for 
us.  Nor  yet  that  he  should  offer  himself  often,  as  the  High- 
Priest  entereth  into  the  Holy  Place,  every  year  with  the 
blood  of  others  : — but  now  once  in  the  end  of  the  world 
hath  he  appeared  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  him¬ 
self,  and  unto  them  that  look  for  him,  shall  he  appear  the 
second  time  without  sin  (a  sin  offering)  unto  salvation.” 

All  this,  says  the  objector,  is  mere  metaphor,  eastern  hy¬ 
perbole  and  figure  of  speech,  or  perhaps  ritual  exhibition  and 
liturgical  form.  If  so,  what  a  singular  confusion  in  the 
language  of  the  Scriptures,  and  in  the  minds  of  its  writers. 
Here  is,  first,  the  typical  or  figurative,  or,  if  you  please,  litur¬ 
gical  language  of  the  Old  Testament ;  here,  also,  is  the 
typical  or  figurative  atonement  of  the  Jewish  ritual.  And 
“  the  body  of  it,”  the  substance,  the  reality,  which  is  Christ, 
is  figurative  or  symbolic  too  !  First,  the  shadows  of  the 
Old  Testament,  and  secondly,  the  shadows  of  the  New,  all 
shadows,  mere  figures  and  metaphors,  or  at  the  best,  liturgic 
forms  and  symbols.  A  figurative  priest — a  figurative  sac¬ 
rifice — a  figurative  atonement — a  metaphoric  or  liturgical 
redemption.  So  that  the  death  of  Christ,  mysterious, 
awful,  thrilling  as  it  is,  is  no  sacrifice  after  all,  and  atone¬ 
ment  has  yet  to  be  made  for  sin,  by  our  penitence  and  good 
works !  According  to  this  view,  the  blood  of  atonement,, 
shed  for  the  remission  of  the  sins  of  many,  is  but  an  in¬ 
teresting  and  striking  fact,  well  fitted  to  make  upon  us  a 
deep  moral  impression,  but  avails  nothing  to  satisfy  justice 


Til£:  ATONEMENT. 


223 


on  our  behalf,  or  procure  for  us  the  pardon  of  our  guilt,  the 
salvation  of  our  souls ! 

But,  no!  we  will  not  accept  this  sophistry  for  reasoning  ; 
this  evasion  for  proof.  The  body,  the  reality  is  Christ,  not 
the  figure  or  the  shadow,  the  liturgic  form,  or  ritual  sym¬ 
bol,  but  the  thing  itself.  So  that  while  the  priesthood  and 
sacrifices  of  the  old  Dispensation  were  temporary  shadows^ 
beautiful  but  perishable  symbols  and  adumbrations  of  good 
things  to  come,  the  priesthood  and  sacrifice  of  Christ  are 
sublime  and  permanent  realities,  to  us  the  most  glorious 
and  blissful  of  all  realities  ;  for  “  we  are  washed,  we  are 
sanctified,  we  are  justified,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God.”  From  this  source  we  de¬ 
rive  pardon  and  peace ;  and  not  only  so,  but  holiness  and 
eternal  life.  This  is  our  only  hope.  Here  will  we  rest 
forever.  Therefore,  with  angels  in  glory,  and  the  spirits 
of  just  men  made  perfect,  we  unite  in  adoring  u  Him  that 
hath  loved  us  and  washed  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood.” 

If  any  one  raise  the  objection  here,  that  Jesus  Christ  as 
God  is  impassive,  and  can  never  himself  atone  for  sin,  by 
means  of  suffering  and  sacrifice,  we  beg  to  tell  him  that 
the  word  impassive ,  in  this  connection,  conveys  a  false  or 
inadequate  conception ;  besides  no  one  has  a  right  to 
measure  the  capacities  of  the  Godhead,  especially  as  incar¬ 
nate,  and  not  only  so, but  that  this  is  a  practical  denial  of  the 
plain  teaching  of  the  Scripture,  which  first  represents  Jesus 
Christ  as  Divine,  and  then  speaks  of  him,  not  as  a  divided, 
but  as  a  single  personality,  bearing  our  sins  in  his  own 
body  on  the  tree,  and  thus  offering  a  rich  and  immaculate 


221 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


oblation  for  the  ransom  of  the  world,  “  who  through  the 
eternal  Spirit  offered  himself  without  spot  unto  God.”  If  you 
say  the  subject  involves  a  mystery,  on  any  supposition 
which  can  be  made  respecting  it,  be  it  so  ;  for  this  is  all  we 
claim.  Wonder,  transcendent,  boundless,  is  our  most 
appropriate  feeling  before  the  agony  of  the  garden  and  of 
the  tree. 

But,  replies  the  unsatisfied  caviller,  if  Jesus  Christ  as 
divine,  suffered  for  sin,  then  God  punished  himself,  which 
surely  is  an  absurdity  not  to  be  received  in  the  nineteenth 
century.  To  this  we  reply  that  the  sufferings  of  Christ 
were  not  a  punishment,  but  an  expiation ;  not  the  natural 
and  necessary  consequence  of  personal  corruption  and  guilt, 
but  a  voluntary  sacrifice  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 
But  allowing  your  irreverent  expression  to  have  some  jus¬ 
tification  in  fact,  let  me  ask,  does  the  father  punish  him¬ 
self  when  he  voluntarily  assumes  the  debt  of  his  erring 
child,  the  payment  of  which  strips  him  of  all  he  has,  and 
reduces  him  to  want?  Does  the  friend  punish  himself 
when  he  consents  to  die  for  his  friend  ?  Does  the  patriot 
punish  himself,  when  he  plunges,  like  an  ancient  king,  into 
the  abyss,  to  save  his  suffering  country  ?  What  if  God 
had  spared  his  own  Son, — his  other  self,  and  not  given  him 
up  to  the  death  for  us  all  ?  What  if  he  had  refused  this 
infinite  sacrifice  for  our  redemption,  as  much  the  sacrifice 
of  the  Father  as  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son  ?  “For  a  rio-ht- 

O 

eous  man  will  one  die?  Peradventure  for  a  good  man, 
some  would  even  dare  to  die.  But  God  commendeth  his 
love  towards  us,  in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


225 


died  for  us.”  Hence,  he  made,  if  you  will  have  it  so,  the 
nearest  possible  approach  to  self-punishment ;  for  it  was 
self-sacrifice,  the  deepest,  the  most  amazing  that  men  or 
angels  have  ever  known.  How  hast  thou  loved  us,  good 
Father,  who  sparedst  not  thine  only  Son,  but  deliveredst 
him  up  for  us  ungodly !  How  hast  thou  loved  us,  for 
whom  he  that  thought  it  no  robbery  to  be  equal  with  thee, 
was  made  subject  to  the  death  of  the  cross  !  He  alone  free 
among  the  dead,  having  power  to  lay  down  his  life,  and 
power  to  take  it  again?  for  as  to  thee,  both  Victor  and 
Victim,  and  therefore  Victor  because  the  Victim?  for  as  to 
thee,  Priest  and  Sacrifice,  and  therefore  Priest  because  the 
Sacrifice  ?  making  us  to  thee,  of  servants,  sons,  by  being 
born  of  thee,  and  serving  us.”# 

But  Christ  is  a  Mediator.  His  sufferings  are  intended  at 
once  to  satisfy  justice  and  grace.  In  dignity  and  magni¬ 
tude,  therefore,  they  must  bear  some  relation  to  this  end. 
To  say  the  least,  they  must  be  such  as  to  u  magnify  the 
law,”  and  enthrone  it,  as  immutable  and  divine,  in  the 
heart  of  men  and  angels.  Such  a  work  demanded  a  spe¬ 
cial  atonement,  a  rich  and  immaculate  sacrifice.  This,  no 
mere  man  or  angel  could  supply.  The  sufferings  of  such 
an  one  could  have  no  conceivable  relation  to  the  govern¬ 
ment  of  God,  in  the  way  of  reparation  or  atonement.  They 
might  be  affecting  enough,  like  the  death  of  Socrates,  or  of 
Paul;  but  could  contribute  nothing  to  the  vindication  of  vi¬ 
olated  law,  or  the  salvation  of  a  lost  soul.  To  achieve  this, 


’Confessiones  Augustini,  Lib.  x.  c.  43. 


226 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


a  higher  victim,  a  more  glorious  death,  was  necessary. 
Whence  we  conclude  that  Jesus  delivered  up  “  Himself,” 
not  his  body  merely,  not  his  human  nature  merely,  but 
Himself — a  Sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  the  world  !  It  was  the 
fact  of  our  Lord’s  Divinity,  which  made  his  atonement 
complete.  This  met  the  case.  This  satisfied  eternal  justice, 
as  well  as  eternal  love ;  so  that  “  we  have  redemption 
through  his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  riches  of  his  grace.”  “We  love  Him  because  he 
first  loved  us.” 

This,  like  the  Trinity  or  the  Incarnation,  is  a  great  mys¬ 
tery  ;  but  how  deeply,  how  powerfully  does  it  affect  the 
heart.  What  grace  is  here  !  What  justice  !  What  amaz¬ 
ing  pity  and  love  !  How  the  poor  sin-stricken  heart  trem¬ 
bles  under  its  influence !  How  it  exults  in  the  thought 
that  such  a  ransom  has  been  paid  for  its  redemption.  In 
the  light  of  such  an  event,  how  vile,  how  horrible  is  sin  ; 
how  beautiful,  how  attractive  is  holiness  !  How  fearful  the 
second  death  !  How  entrancing  and  ineffable  the  second, 
the  everlasting  life  ! 

Suffering  for  the  benefit  of  the  lost  and  the  miserable,  has 
introduced  into  the  universe  a  new  kind  of  experience.  It 
has  given  rise  to  a  new  order  of  feelings,  feelings  the  high¬ 
est  and  holiest  that  can  be  conceived,  whether  they  thrill 
the  heart  of  man,  of  angel  or  of  God.  The  “  great  sal¬ 
vation”  has  enhanced  the  blessedness  of  “  the  glorified,”  on 
high.  It  has  multiplied  a  thousand  fold,  the  felicity  of  all 
pure  intelligences.  It  is  the  source  of  infinite  satisfaction  to 
God  himself.  Within  its  depths  are  enfolded  “  the  mani- 


THE  INCARNATION. 


22 1 


fold  -wisdom  of  God,”  into  which  “  the  angels  desire  to 
look  and  through  all  eternity  will  it  constitute  a  source 
of  admiration,  love  and  joy  to  the  whole  universe  of  sanc¬ 
tified  mind-.  Indeed,  this  fact,  suffering  for  the  benefit  of 
the  lost,  is  the  very  mystery  of  redemption,  “  the  mystery 
of  the  Father  of  Christ  and  of  God,”  in  which  are  “hid 
all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,”  the  one  glo¬ 
rious  thing  which  forms  the  wonder  of  angels,  and  the 
song  of  the  redeemed.  It  begins  a  new  era,  not  only  on 
earth,  but  in  heaven  ;  a  new  joy,  not  only  in  man,  but  in 
God,  a  joy  foreseen,  indeed,  from  all  eternity,  but  realized 
only  at  the  death  of  Christ ;  a  joy  deep  as  the  heart  of 
infinite  love,  and  measureless  as  the  ages  of  eternity* 
“  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed 
upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God* 
Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  but  it  doth  not  yet 
appear  what  we  shall  be  ;  but  when  He  shall  appear,  we 
shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.” 

Before  we  close  this  part  of  our  subject,  we  must  be 
permitted  a  word  upon  a  point  not  yet  touched— -but  one 
which  probably  has  often  been  in  the  mind  of  the  intelli¬ 
gent  reader.  It  will  be  observed  that  thus  far,  we  have 
endeavored  to  establish  a  fact,  without  discussing  the  mode 
of  it.  We  have  affirmed  the  proposition  that  Christ  suf¬ 
fered  in  his  whole  nature,  but  we  have  not  ventured  to 
affirm  in  a  dogmatic  way,  what  it  was,  or  how  it  was  he 
suffered.  The  external  aspects  of  his  suffering — the  mar¬ 
red  visage — the  failing  eye — the  flowing  blood — the  con¬ 
torted  limbs — the  agonizing  cry — the  drooping  head— and 


228 


MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD. 


the  ghastly  paleness  of  death,  are  obvious  to  all.  But 
these,  it  seems  to  us,  are  merely  images  and  expressions  of 
deeper  sufferings  within.  “  His  soul  was  exceeding  sor¬ 
rowful  even  unto  death.”  “  His  soul  was  made  an  offering 
forsin.”  What,  then,  was  his  agony  ?  How, especially,  did 
his  pure  and  infinite  spirit  endure  such  suffering?  To  this, 
we  frankly  reply,  we  cannot  tell.  The  subject  transcends 
our  reasoning.  We  cannot  speculate  upon  it.  Better  far 
kneel  down  in  Gethsemane,  with  the  suppliant  sufferer,  or, 
placing  ourselves,  in  humble  contrition,  beneath  his  cross, 
exclaim  with  St.  Thomas,  “my  Lord,  and  my  God  !”# 

Here,  then,  we  may  enumerate  the  following  points  as 
settled :  firstly,  that  man  is  a  sinner,  justly  condemned  by 
eternal  justice,  and  exposed  to  everlasting  destruction,  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power ; 
secondly,  that  God,  “  out  of  his  mere  mercy,”  became  in¬ 
carnate,  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  thus  il  God, 
manifest  in  the  flesh,”  that,  in  the  same  nature  which  had  sin¬ 
ned,  and  under  the  law  which  was  violated,  he  might  achieve 
the  redemption  of  the  lost ;  thirdly,  that  in  pursuance  of 
this  end,  he  made  an  atonement  for  sin,  by  the  sacrifice  of 
himself,  whereby  justice  was  satisfied,  and  the  way  opened 
for  the  pardon,  and  restoration,  of  the  guilty  ;  fourthly,  that 
God  not  merely  manifested  his  justice,  in  this  extraordinary 
interposition,  which  transcends,  as  a  mystery,  all  thought  and 

*  “  If  the  Scripture,”  says  Bishop  Butler,  with  admirable  wisdom,  “has,  as  surely 
it  has,  left  this  matter  of  the  satisfaction  of  Christ  somewhat  mysterious,  left  some¬ 
what  in  it  unrevealed,  all  conjectures  about  it  must  be,  if  not  evidently  absurd,  yet 
at  least  uncertain.  Nor  has  any  one  reason  to  complain  for  want  of  farther  infor¬ 
mation,  unless  he  can  show  his  claim  to  it.” — Works,  Eng.  ed.  p.  179. 


THE  INCARNATION. 


229 


expression,  but  gave  scope  and  lustre  to  that  eternal  princi¬ 
ple  of  his  government,  in  the  salvation  of  the  fallen,  and 
thus  established  and  perpetuated  righteousness  as  well  as 
grace,  not  as  an  expedient  to  be  modified  and  allowed,  but  as 
a  law  to  be  venerated  and  loved :  fifthly,  that  thus  Jesus 
Christ  was  a  true  substitute  for  the  guilty,  and  that  those 
who  believe,  owe  to  him  their  entire  salvation,  from  its  first 
conception  in  the  bosom  of  God,  to  its  final  consummation  in 
eternal  glory ;  on  which  ground,  our  sins  were  laid  upon 
him,  or  as  some  express  it,  imputed  to  him,  not  indeed  as 
transferred  to  his  personal  character,  but  as  expiated  by 
his  voluntary  sufferings  and  death,  and  which,  as  they  re¬ 
sult  in  our  redemption,  and  are  appropriated  by  faith  alone, 
are  made  over  for  the  benefit  of  all  who  believe ;  or  as  the 
old  divines  express  it,  are  £<  imputed  to  us  for  righteous¬ 
ness.” 

So  that,  sixthly,  we  are  justified,  that  is,  forgiven  and  ac¬ 
cepted,  brought  into  new  and  endearing  relations  to  God 
as  his  children,  u  freely  by  his  grace  through  the  redemption 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,”  and  thus  ascribe  all  the  glory  of 
our  redemption  to  the  “  free  and  sovereign  grace  of  a  cove¬ 
nant  keeping  God.”  Finally,  it  is  thus  receiving  Christ,  as 
our  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption,” 
in  other  words,  making  him  our  own  by  faith,  relying  upon 
his  merits,  and  clinging  to  his  cross,  that  we  are  transformed 
into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the 
spirit  of  the  Lord. 

In  a  word,  summing  up  the  whole,  we  believe  that  the 

20 


230 


T  HEO  11  Y  OF 


sufferings  and  death  of  the  Son  of  God  are  a  real  expiation 
for  the  sins  of  the  world,  which,  received  by  a  truly  penitent 
soul,  unites  him  to  Christ,  lifts  him  up  into  the  bosom  of  God, 
transforms  him  into  the  divine  image,  makes  him  a  partaker 
of  eternal  glory. 


CONCLUSION. 


What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  What  of  his  glory — what 
of  his  work  ?  He  died  to  unite  us  to  God.  Are  we  united 
to  God  ?  Are  we  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature  ?  Is  our 
life  hid  with  Christ,  in  God  ?  Are  we  “  rooted  and 
grounded  in  love  ?”  Comprehending  with  all  saints  “  what 
is  the  heighth  and  the  depth,  the  length  and  the  breadth, 
and  knowing  the  love  of  God,  which  passeth  knowledge,” 
are  we  “  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God  ?”  Is  Christ 
formed  “  in  us  the  hope  of  glory and  under  this  influence, 
is  our  life  becoming  radiant  and  beautiful  ?  As  we  have 
borne  “  the  image  of  the  earthy,”  do  we  now  bear,  do  we 
hope  yet  more  fully  to  bear,  “  the  image  of  the  heavenly  ?” 
In  a  word,  are  we  washed,  are  we  justified,  are  we  sanctified, 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God, 
and  thus  pure,  peaceful,  active,  loving,  hopeful,  full  of  good 
fruits,  without  partiality  and  without  hypocrisy  ?  If  so,  let 
us  rejoice  yet  more  and  more  in  the  God  of  our  salvation  ; 
and  let  our  whole  life  be  a  closer  and  yet  closer  imitation 
of  Christ.  Let  us  ever  drink  at  this  fountain,  and  then  go 
forth  into  the  world  to  bless  it  with  our  fruitfulness  and 
joy!  In  our  whole  deportment  let  us  express  the  holy, 
sweet,  and  purifying  influence  of  a  life  hid  with  Christ  in 
God ;  and,  if  possible,  repay  to  the  Saviour  of  sinners, 


232 


CONCLUSION. 

even  if  in  the  most  imperfect  degree,  something  of  his  love 
and  pity  for  us.  u  He  that  gives  alms  to  the  poor,  takes 
Jesus  by  the  hand  ;  he  that  patiently  endures  injuries  and 
affronts,  helps  him  to  bear  his  cross ;  he  that  comforts  his 
brother  in  affliction,  gives  an  amiable  kiss  of  peace  to  Jesus  ; 
he  that  bathes  his  own  and  his  neighbor’s  sins  in  tears  of 
penitence  and  compassion,  washes  his  Master's  feet ;  we 
lead  Jesus  into  the  recesses  of  our  heart  by  holy  medita¬ 
tions,  and  we  enter  into  his  heart  when  we  express  him  in 
our-actions  ;  for  so  the  Apostle  says,  4  He  that  is  in  Christ, 
walks  as  he  also  walked.’  ”* 

Thus  let  us  be  “  followers  of  God,  as  dear  children” — 
walk  in  “the  light  as  he  is  in  the  light” — live  in  Christ, 
and  die  in  Christ,  and  finally  reign  with  him  forever. 
With  this  view,  let  us  join  in  the  following  prayer. 

“  O  eternal,  holy,  and  most  glorious  Jesu,  who  hast 
united  two  natures  of  distance  infinite,  descending  to  the 
lowness  of  human  nature,  that  thou  mightest  exalt  human 
nature  to  a  participation  of  the  Divinity ;  we,  thy  people 
that  sat  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadows  of  death,  have 
seen  great  light  to  entertain  our  understandings,  and  en¬ 
lighten  our  souls  with  its  excellent  influences  ;  for  the 
excellence  of  thy  sanctity  shining  gloriously  in  every  part 
of  thy  life,  is  like  thy  angel,  the  pillar  of  fire,  which  called 
thy  children  from  the  darkness  of  Egypt.  Lord,  open 
mine  eyes,  and  give  me  power  to  behold  thy  righteous 
glories  ;  and  let  my  soul  be  so  entertained  with  affections 


*  Jeremy  Tuylor,  Works,  Vol.  2,  p.  71. 


CONCLUSION. 


233 


and  holy  ardors,  that  I  may  never  look  back  upon  the 
flames  of  Sodom,  but  may  follow  thy  light,  which  recreates 
and  enlightens,  and  guides  us  to  the  mountains  of  safety, 
and  sanctuaries  of  holiness.  Holy  Jesu,  since  thy  image 
is  imprinted  on  our  nature  by  creation,  let  me  also  express 
thy  image  by  all  the  parts  of  a  holy  life,  conforming  my 
will  and  affections  to  thy  holy  precepts  ;  submitting  my 
understanding  to  thy  dictates,  and  lessons  of  perfection ; 
imitating  thy  sweetnesses  and  excellencies  of  society,  thy 
devotion  in  prayer,  thy  conformity  to  God,  thy  zeal  tem¬ 
pered  with  meekness,  thy  patience  heightened  with  charity  ; 
that  heart  and  hands  and  eyes,  and  all  my  faculties,  may 
grow  up  with  the  increase  of  God,  till  I  come  to  the  full 
measure  of  the  stature  of  Christ,  even  to  be  a  perfect  man 
in  Christ  Jesus ;  that  at  last,  in  thy  light,  I  may  see  light, 
and  reap  the  fruits  of  glory  from  the  seeds  of  sanctity  in 
the  imitation  of  thy  holy  life,  O  blessed  and  holy  Saviour 
Jesus!  Amen.”* 

*  Prayer  prefixed  to  “  the  Life  of  Christ,”  by  Jeremy  Taylor. — Works,  Vol.  II,  p.  72. 


20* 


SUPPLEMENT. 


REVIEW  OF  DR.  BUSHNELL’s  THEORIES  OF  THE  INCARNATION  AND 

ATONEMENT. 

In  order  to  complete  our  view  of  the  Incarnation  and 
Atonement,  it  seems  necessary  to  take  some  notice  of 
the  theories  of  Dr.  Bushnell,  whose  work,  entitled  “  God 
in  Christ,”  has  made  its  appearance  since  the  publication 
of  the  first  edition  of  this  volume.  Perhaps  he  himself 
would  object  to  the  word  theories,  as  applied  to  his  views ; 
but  we  know  not  how  else  to  characterize  them.  He  has 
certainly  presented  his  opinions  upon  these  subjects,  in  a 
form  as  strikingly  theoretical,  or  speculative,  as  any  that 
ever  fell  under  our  observation.  Nevertheless,  his  book  is 
filled  with  earnest  protests  against  all  dogma  and  theory 
in  the  matter  of  religion  ;  and,  if  one  might  believe  the 
author,  is  intended  to  bring  men  back  to  the  simplicity  of 
a  reverent  and  confiding  faith.  That  this  is  the  sincere 
aim  of  Dr.  B.  we  have  no  serious  doubt.  All  our  acquaint¬ 
ance  with  him  goes  to  satisfy  us  that  he  is  an  honest, 
earnest  man ;  and  his  book,  however  it  may  seem  to  others, 
strengthens  this  conviction.  But  his  mind  is  naturally 
speculative,  and  even  dogmatic  ;  and  perhaps  no  theologi¬ 
cal  work,  in  modern  times,  could  be  named,  so  fitted  to  pro¬ 
mote  a  speculative  and  even  disputatious  turn  of  mind. 


2 


THEORY  OF 


That  this  will  be  its  result,  time  will  abundantly  prove. 
While  demolishing,  and  that  with  no  gentle  blows,  the 
dogmas  of  others,  he  sets  up  his  own  in  their  stead — dog¬ 
mas  as  purely  theoretical  as  those  of  his  neighbors.  His 
keen  Damascus  blade  sweeps  the  whole  field  of  theologi¬ 
cal  controversy,  and  all  for  the  purpose  of  putting  down 
polemics  !  By  means  of  words  he  throws  contempt  upon 
words.  He  hurls  opinions  against  opinions,  dogmas  against 
dogmas ;  and  cuts  to  pieces  reason  and  logic  by  the  keen 
edge  of  intuition  and  argument.  It  is  just  as  if  a  man 
had  entered  upon  a  crusade  to  put  down  fighting,  by 
knocking  every  bully  in  the  head,  and  then  setting  him¬ 
self  up  as  the  champion  of  universal  peace  ! 

But  we  must  be  permitted,  in  all  honesty,  to  say,  that 
for  ourselves  personally,  we  owe  Dr.  B.  a  debt  of  gratitude 
for  his  book.  It  is  no  holiday  affair.  It  is  a  work  to  be 
read, — read  with  the  profoundest  interest.  With  all  its 
faults,  springing,  perhaps,  from  the  very  power  and  exuber¬ 
ance  of  the  author’s  mind,  not,  we  trust,  from  the  weak¬ 
ness  or  waywardness  of  his  heart,  it  contains  much  that 
is  true,  much  that  is  beautiful  and  good.  It  will  quicken 
thought.  It  may  assist  in  clearing  away  rubbish  from  the 
great  truths  of  Christianity.  Its  very  errors  may  stimulate 
inquiry,  and  give  occasion  for  broader,  juster,  and  more 
scriptural  views. 

Still,  truth  compels  us  to  characterize  his  work  as  pre¬ 
eminently  speculative  and  fanciful.  With  the  exceptions 
we  have  named,  this,  we  think,  will  be  acknowledged  its 
predominant  quality.  A  production  of  genius  and  power, 


THE  INCARNATION. 


3 


it  is  too  paradoxical  and  extravagant,  in  its  spirit  and  style, 
to  secure  any  thing  like  a  favorable  reception  among  sober 
theologians  or  humble  Christians.  Dr.  B.,  however,  ought 
to  have  the  credit  of  being  even  more  than  orthodox  on 
the  subject  of  our  Saviour’s  Divinity,  which  he  defends 
with  earnestness.  He  exaggerates  what  may  be  termed 
the  Divine  aspect  of  Christ’s  character,  making  him,  if 
possible,  more  Divine  than  is  done  by  many  orthodox 
teachers,  who  in  assigning  different  parts  in  the  work  of 
redemption  to  the  two  natures  of  Christ,  and  especially  in 
separating  the  Divinity  from  the  humanity  in  the  closing 
act  of  the  great  drama,  yield,  in  Dr.  B.’s  opinion,  the 
whole  argument  to  the  Unitarians.  “The  Scripture,” 
says  he,  p.  153,  “does  not  say  that  a  certain  human  sold 
called  Jesus,  born  as  such  of  Mary,  obeyed  and  suffered; 
but  it  says,  in  the  boldest  manner,  that  he  who  was  in  the 
form  of  God  humbled  himself  and  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  A  declaration,  the 
very  point  of  which  is,  not  that  the  man  Jesus  was  a  being 
under  human  limitations,  but  that  he  who  was  in  the 
Form  of  God,  came  into  the  finite,  and  was  subject  to 
human  conditions.  Then,  again,  Christ  himself  declared, 
not  that  a  human  soul,  hid  in  his  person,  was  placed  un¬ 
der  limitations,  but  more — that  the  Son,  that  is,  the  Divine 
person — for  the  word  Son  is  used  as  a  relation  to  the  Fa¬ 
ther — the  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself  but  what  he 
seeth  the  Father  do  ;  for  the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and 
sheweth  him  all  things  that  himself  doeth.  He  also  prajTs 
— ‘  Glorify  me  with  thine  own  self,  with  the  glory  that 


4 


THEORY"  OF 


I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was  ’ — a  prayer  which 
cannot  be  referred  to  the  human  soul,  even  if  there  was  a 
human  soul  hid  in  his  person;  for  that  soul  could  speak 
of  no  glory  it  once  had  with  the  Father.  Hence,  the  sup¬ 
position  of  a  human  soul  existing  distinctly,  and  acting  by 
itself,  clears  no  difficulty  ;  for  the  Son,  the  divine  part,  or 
I  should  rather  say,  the  whole  Christ,  is  still  represented 
as  humbled,  as  weak,  as  divested  of  glory,  and  existing 
under  limitations  or  conditions  that  do  not  belong  to  Deity.” 

Dr.  B.,  therefore,  maintains  not  a  virtual  or  occasional 
union,  but  a  real  and  substantial  union  between  the  human 
and  the  divine  in  the  person  of  Christ.  The  former  he  re¬ 
jects  as  mere  copartnership  and  collocation  ;  and  shows 
that  upon  such  a  theory,  u  the  whole  work  of  Christ,  as  a 
subject,  suffering  Redeemer,  is  thrown  upon  the  human 
side  of  his  nature,  and  the  divine  side  standing  thus 
aloof,  incommunicably  distant,  has  nothing  in  fact  to 
do  with  the  transaction,  other  than  to  be  a  spectator 
of  it.”  Hence  he  denies  the  common  Trinitarian 
theory  of  “  two  distinct  or  distinctly  active  subsist¬ 
ences  in  the  person  of  Christ.”  But  checking  himself, 
wisely,  in  our  estimation,  he  intimates  that  the  whole  sub¬ 
ject  is  enveloped  in  mystery,  and  insisfs  that  we  have  no 
right  to  speculate  upon  it  !  Some  will  think  he  has  him¬ 
self  overstepped  the  limits  of  human  knowledge  here,  and 
indulged  in  a  hazardous  and  somewhat  intangible  specu¬ 
lation;  but  he  very  justly  and  strikingly  remarks  (p.  151) 
that  u  to  insist  upon  going  beyond  the  expression,  investi¬ 
gating  the  mystery  of  the  person  of  Jesus,  when  it  is 


THE  INCARNATION. 


5 


given  us  only  to  communicate  God  and  His  love,  is  in  fact 
to  puzzle  ourselves  with  the  vehicle,  and  rob  ourselves  of 
the  grace  it  brings.” 

Whether  there  were  two  natures  in  one  person,  as  is 
generally  believed,  or  two  persons  in  one  nature,  as  some 
appear  to  teach,  or  one  person  in  one  nature,  as  Dr.  B. 
seems  to  hold,  within  the  restrictions  of  a  htiman  body,  we 
give  him  credit  for  shrewdness  and  consistency  when  he 
says  “  that  the  subject  is  not  psychologically  or  physio¬ 
logically  investigable,  because  it  does  not  lie  within  the 
categories  of  ordinary  natural  humanity.”  It  certainly 
involves  difficulties  which  baffle  the  finite  intellect,  and 
admits  of  no  adequate  solution.  Even  if  the  impassibility 
of  God  could  be  proved  with  the  precision  of  a  mathemat¬ 
ical  theorem,  the  mystery  would  remain  that  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  the  Eternal,  suffered  and  died  for  the  redemption 
of  the  lost.  O  !  it  would  indeed  be  well  if  all  of  us  had  our 
minds  “  moderated,”  not  merely  by  “philosophy”  or  “rea¬ 
son,”  but  by  religion,  as  to  “set  boundaries  to  our  questions” 
upon  these  high  themes  ;  and  that  instead  of  speculating, 
we  were  more  inclined  to  reverence  and  worship.  There¬ 
fore  we  cheerfully  indorse  the  following  statement  by  Dr. 
B.,  the  spirit  of  which,  it  seems  to  us,  carried  out,  would 
make  sad  havoc  of  all  our  speculations,  and  his  among 
the  rest : — “  The  mystery  of  the  divine  human  must  re¬ 
main  a  mystery.  I  cannot  fathom  it.  Reason  wil]  justify'' 
me  in  no  such  attempt.  And  when  we  come  to  speak  of 
the  sufferings  and  death,  I  would  withhold  myself  in  like 

manner,  and  require  myself  to  look  only  at  what  the  suf- 

*1 


6 


THEORY  OF 


ferings  and  death  express.  It  is  commonly  held  that  God 
is  impassible,  though  we  never  hesitate  to  affirm  that  He 
is  displeased  thus  and  thus,  and  this  displeased  state  is, 
so  far,  of  course,  an  un-pleased  or  painful  state.  But,  even 
if  it  were  otherwise,  if  God,  in  His  own  nature,  were  as 
unsusceptible  as  a  rock,  that  fact  would  justify  no  infer¬ 
ence  concerning  the  person  of  Christ.  The  only  question 
is,  whether  God,  by  a  mysterious  union  with  the  human, 
can  so  far  employ  the  element  of  suffering,  as  to  make  it 
a  vehicle  for  the  expression  of  His  own  Grace  and  Ten¬ 
derness  ;  whether,  indeed,  God  can  be  allowed,  in  any  way, 
to  exhibit  those  Passive  Virtues,  which  are  really  the 
most  active  and  sublimest  of  all  virtues,  because  they  are 
most  irresistible,  and  require  the  truest  greatness  of  spirit. 
Therefore,  when  we  come  to  the  agony  of  the  garden,  and 
the  passion  of  the  cross,  we  are  not,  with  the  speculative 
Unitarian,  to  set  up  as  a  dogma,  beforehand,  and  as  some¬ 
thing  that  we  perfectly  know,  that  God  can  set  himself  in 
no  possible  terms  of  connection  with  suffering ;  nor  believ¬ 
ing,  with  the  common  Trinitarian,  that  there  are  two  distinct 
natures  in  Christ,  are  we  to  conclude  that  no  sort  of  pang 
can  touch  the  divine  nature,  and  that  only  his  human  part 
can  suffer.  We  cannot  thus  intrude  into  the  interior  of 
God’s  mysteries.  We  are  only  to  see  the  Eternal  Life  ap¬ 
proach  our  race — Divine  Love  manifested  and  sealed  ;  the 
Law  sanctified  by  obedience  unto  death ;  pardon  certified 
by  the  ‘  Father  forgive  peace  established  and  testified  by 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead.” — p.  163. 

Not  only  does  Dr.  B.  concede  the  utter  impossibility  of 


THE  INCARNATION. 


7 


speculating  satisfactorily  on  “the  contents’5  of  Christ’s 
nature,  beyond  what  is  plainly  revealed  in  the  Scriptures, 
but  he  admits  also  the  profound  and  inscrutable  mystery 
of  the  Godhead,  whether  in  its  relations  to  the  nature  of 
the  Son,  or  to  the  nature  of  the  Father.  After  all  that  he 
himself  has  adventured  upon  this  subject,  touching  the 
modes  of  the  Divine  revelation,  the  nature  of  the  Trinity, 
and  especially  the  nature  of  the  Divine  Logos,  or  Jesus 
Christ  as  pre-existing  in  the  Form  of  God,  or  as  constitu¬ 
ting  the  Form  of  God,  he  maintains,  in  no  ambiguous 
terms,  the  absolute  impossibility  of  knowing  any  thing 
about  it !  It  is  not  to  be  held,  he  says,  in  the  modes  or 
measures  either  of  logic  or  language,  thus  vindicating  the 
fundamental  principle  which  we  have  endeavored,  in  the 
whole  compass  of  this  volume,  to  set  forth  and  establish. 
Even  as  revealed,  he  admits  that  God  will  not  be  cleared 
of  obscurity  and  mystery.  “  A  vast  circle  of  mystery  will 
be  the  back  ground  of  all  other  representations,  on  which 
they  will  play  and  glitter  in  living  threads  of  motion,  as 
lightning  on  a  cloud,  and  what  they  themselves  do  not  re¬ 
veal  of  God,  the  mystery  will — a  Being  infinite,  undiscover¬ 
ed,  undiscoverable,  therefore  true”  (p.  145.)  On  this  ground 
he  will  not  venture,  even  after  his  grand  argument,  proving 
that  the  Trinity  is  “a  device  of  revelation,”  or  a  simple 
mode  of  the  Divine  manifestation,  to  say  (p.  175)  that  “the 
Trinity  is  “  modal  only,”  and  finds  a  necessity  of  answer¬ 
ing  the  question  touching  this  point  “  obscurely.’’'’  He  ven¬ 
tures,  indeed,  but  with  some  hesitation,  to  call  the  Trinity 
an  Instrumental  Trinity,  and  the  Persons  Instrumental 


8 


THEORY  OF 


Persons,  and  instantly  protests  against  all  speculations  on 
the  subject,  rejects  every  thing  like  the  Triad  of  Plato, 
to  which  his  own  theory,  as  we  shall  presently  show,  bears 
a  wonderful  resemblance,  and  adds,  (p.  179,)  “Let  us 
rather  baptize  our  over-curious  spirit  into  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
teach  it  quietly  to  rest  in  what  of  God’s  infinite  nature 
it  may  there  receive.” 

In  this  way  Dr.  B.  acknowledges  some  of  the  highest 
truths  of  our  holy  faith,  and  proves  that  he  is  in  little 
danger,  as  some  have  feared,  of  lapsing  into  the  shallow 
system  of  Socinian  belief,  or  ceasing  to  adore  Jesus  Christ 
as  God  over  all,  blessed  forever. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  proper,  before  proceeding  further,  to 
say  something  respecting  Dr.  B.’s  theory  of  language,  as  he 
sets  forth  that  as  the  basis  of  all  his  other  theories,  making 
the  Trinity  and  Incarnation  modes  or  vehicles  of  the  Di¬ 
vine  expression,  as  language  is  the  mode  and  vehicle  of 
human  expression.  So  that  the  Incarnation  is  a  sort  of 
language,  the  principal  “  moment”  of  which  is,  its  ca¬ 
pacity  to  reveal  the  absolute  God.  Dr.  B.  maintains  that 
there  is  a  sort  of  Logos  in  language,  a  secret  or  mystic  form 
of  expression,  derived  from  the  harmony  which  exists  be¬ 
tween  the  world  of  matter  and  the  world  of  spirit,  the  one 
supplying  types  or  images  of  the  other,  inadequate,  indeed, 
and  partaking  somewhat  of  their  terrestrial  origin  ;  but 
setting  forth,  in  a  reflective  way,  the  spiritual  facts,  truths, 
or  emotions  which  they  represent.  And  hence  he  reasons, 
by  a  sort  of  remote  and  fanciful  analogy,  that  there  is  in 


THE  INCARNATION, 


9 


God,  as  an  Absolute  Being,  a  Logos ,  or  power  of  self-ex¬ 
pression,  which,  in  finite  and  imperfect  forms,  reveals  to 
our  minds  and  hearts  the  true  God  and  Eternal  Life.  This, 
he  says,  is  the  Logos  of  St.  John,  the  Word  made  flesh, 
who  dwelt  among  us,  and  whose  glory  we  beheld,  the 
glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace 
and  truth.  So  that  the  Incarnation  is  the  finite  imperson¬ 
ation  of  God  in  this  manner;  the  Logos ,  or  capacity  for 
self-embodiment  or  self-expression,  taking  the  form  of 
a  finite  person,  and  going  forth,  like  a  living  speech, 
(logos,)  to  make  known  and  communicate  the  Di¬ 
vine.  The  atonement,  of  course,  falls  under  the  same 
category,  being  only  a  further  expression  of  the  love  and 
pity  of  God,  in  striking,  but  not  necessary  forms. 

As  to  Dr.  B.’s  speculation  touching  the  origin  and  history 
of  language,  we  have  nothing  to  say.  Upon  this  point, 
we  could  admit  some  of  his  positions,  and  yet  not  accept 
his  theory.  So,  also,  in  reference  to  the  imperfect,  half¬ 
terrestrial  character  of  language,  and  its  inadequacy  fully 
to  set  forth  all  spiritual  realities,  upon  which  he  insists  so 
much,  few  persons  who  have  indulged  in  any  reflection, 
will  have  much  difficulty.  But  we  maintain,  in  opposition, 
to  Dr.  B.,  that  there  are  cases  in  which  language  entirely 
loses  this  earthly  figurative  character,  and  becomes  a 
pure,  and,  in  one  sense,  literal  type  of  spiritual  realities. 
Take,  for  example,  the  word  spirit,  originally  signifying 
breath ,  or  wind,  and  in  the  form  of  the  all-embracing  air, 
symbolizing  God,  the  universal,  all-pervading  presence. 
This  term,  so  terrestrial  in  its  origin,  gradually  casts  off  its 


10 


THEORY  OF 


earthly,  and  even  symbolic  character,  and  finally  becomes 
a  literal  name,  representing  the  infinite,  immaterial  Spirit. 
So  that,  for  the  very  purpose  of  excluding  all  materiality, 
all  ideas  of  space,  form,  figure,  and  extension,  we  say  with 
emphasis,  God  is  a  Spirit !  The  word  here,  though  in¬ 
adequate  and  earth-born,  sets  forth  a  spiritual  (not  eerial  or 
breathly)  idea. 

Take,  also,  the  word  right ,  one  of  the  most  abstract  and 
comprehensive  terms  in  the  language.  Originally  it  signi¬ 
fies  straightness,  or  a  straight  line,  then  conformity  to  a  rule, 
measure  or  standard,  then  by  an  easy  transition,  the  rule 
or  standard  of  right  itself,  the  great  and  all-comprehending 
law  of  the  spiritual  world — Divine  law,  the  principal  foun¬ 
tain  of  right,  the  law  of  laws,  in  other  words,  the  absolute 
and  essential  principle  of  right,  which  governs  all  things, 
governs  even  God.  For  it  is  impossible — we  reason  from  the 
very  conception — that  the  absolutely  perfect  Being  should 
think  any  wrong,  intend  any  wrong,  do  any  wrong.  Here, 
then,  the  word  right  loses  all  its  material  quality,  and  rep¬ 
resents  literally  the  most  absolutely  spiritual  and  com¬ 
prehensive  principle  in  the  universe.* 

Language,  as  a  whole,  is  indeed  inadequate,  but  not  so 
inadequate  as  to  be  incapable  of  marking  ofif,  or  de-jining , 
and  that  with  considerable  pre-cision ,  the  domain  of  truth 
from  the  domain  of  error ;  so  that  even  a  dogma  or  a  creed, 
provided  it  be  a  scriptural  dogma  or  creed,  and  not  a  mere 
speculative  or  wooden55  one,  may  yet  be  true,  true  in  the 

The  same  remarks  apply  to  the  words  abstraction,  mind,  heart,  beauty,  under¬ 
standing,  substance,  essence,  reason,  truth,  holiness,  (wholeness,)  virtue,  and 
many  others.  Moreover,  they  are  literal,  not  figurative  terms.  They  are,  in 
reality,  names  of  spiritual  things. 


THE  INCARNATION. 


11 


highest  and  most  perfect  sense  of  the  term.  Were  it  oth¬ 
erwise,  it  would  be  impossible  to  separate,  cut  off,  and  pro¬ 
tect  truth  from  error,  or  feel  any  degree  of  confidence  that 
what  we  believed  might  not  after  all  be  grievous  false¬ 
hood.  Poison  would  commingle  with  the  food  of  the  soul ; 
and  we  should  find,  after  all  our  care  in  the  study  of  the 
Scripture,  that  we  had  received  our  death  from  what  we 
deemed  the  means  of  nourishment  and  life  !  What  is  true 
in  theology,  is  certainly  a  possible  question  ;  otherwise  all 
our  beliefs  are  uncertain  and  vain.  Moreover  the  life  or  the 
feeling  cannot  be  sustained  without  a  basis,  or  means  of 
sustenance.  All  feeling  or  sentiment  is  suspended  on 
thought,  and  all  thought  hangs  upon  fact  or  truth.  The 
one  is  essential  to  the  other,  as  essential  as  fuel  to  fire,  or 
cause  to  effect.  You  may  call  it  dogma,  or  doctrine,  or 
creed,  it  comes  to  the  same  thing ;  no  practical  religion  can 
live  without  it ;  and  just  in  proportion  to  the  fullness,  clear¬ 
ness  and  comprehensiveness  of  our  doctrinal  views,  will  be 
the  strength,  symmetry  and  fruitfulness  of  our  piety, 

It  is  true,  that,  back  of  all  our  words,  and  all  our  creeds, 
and  all  our  knowledge,  lies  a  vast  and  undiscovered 
region  of  mystery ;  still,  relatively  to  our  moral  exigencies 
and  duties,  we  can  know  enough  of  God,  enough  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  way  of  life,  to  be  certain  that  we  are  in 
possession  of  the  truth,  in  distinction  from  error  and  false¬ 
hood.  So  that  there  is  a  divine  creed ;  and  not  only  so, 
but  a  true  and  legitimate  logic,  or  mode  of  argument  for 
its  defence.  Of  course  we  abandon,  as  readily  as  Dr.  B., 
the  mere  logic  of  words,  and  epecially  that  species  of  dry 


THEORY  OF 


12 

and  ridiculous  argumentation  which  reasons  from  a  single 
expression,  and  by  a  system  of  false  or  assumed  premises 
or  inferences,  runs  into  all  sorts  of  absurdities.  But  an 

j 

appeal  to  the  testimony  of  the  Scripture,  to  ascertained 
fact  and  principle,  to  “thus  saith  the  Lord,”  as  well  as  to 
the  very  nature  and  reason  of  things,  is  always  legitimate 
and  proper.  As  to  insight  or  intuition  being  opposed  to 
fact  or  argument,  or,  if  you  please,  to  a  legitimate  logic,  it 
is  pure  nonsense.  For  what  is  reasoning  from  insight  or 
intuition,  but  an  appeal  to  the  facts  of  consciousness,  or  the 
native  convictions  of  the  soul,  in  which  all  men  are  agreed, 
or  to  the  facts  and  principles  of  nature  as  revealed  to  the 
all-penetrating  mind  ? 

Hence,  words  or  expressions  are  to  be  estimated  according 
to  circumstances,  being  more  or  less  perfect,  more  or  less 
spiritual,  as  the  case  may  be ;  yet,  upon  the  whole,  capable 
of  expressing  the  full  extent  of  the  Divine  revelation,  and 
of  our  knowledge  respecting  it. 

The  fact  is,  when  our  knowledge  is  clear  and  definite, 
then  our  words  are  clear  and  definite, — when  obscure  and 
general,  then  our  words  are  limited  and  dark.  Dr.  B.  him¬ 
self  admits  that  words  can  be  used  with  the  utmost  pre¬ 
cision,  as  in  the  case  of  mathematical  truths,  and  even 
of  some  metaphysical  truths,  such  as  space,  time,  cause, 
right,  truth,  and  so  forth.  Whence  we  conclude,  that 
whenever,  in  theology  or  morals,  our  ideas  are  clear  and 
adequate,  then  also  is  our  language  clear  and  adequate. 
Spiritual  truths  take  a  dress  or  an  image,  or  rather  a  repre¬ 
sentation,  in  language,  which  conforms  to  their  nature. 


THE  INCARNATION. 


iS 


And  just  as  our  knowledge  becomes  more  elevated  and 
expansive,  our  language  becomes  more  pregnant  and  ex¬ 
pressive.  The  difficulty  in  theology  lies  not  so  much  in 
language,  as  in  the  mysterious  nature  of  some  of  the  sub¬ 
jects  about  which  it  is  employed.  Doubtless  the  Word  of 
God  is  perfect,  that  is,  it  is  as  perfect  as  language  can  be 
made ;  but  no  language  can  adequately  set  forth  the  inte¬ 
rior  nature  of  God,  or  the  great  Mystery  of  the  Trinity,  the 
Incarnation  and  the  Atonement.  But  so  far  as  they  can  be 
set  forth ,  this  is  done  by  the  language  of  Revelation.  Of 
course  it  must  be  interpreted  by  reference  to  the  principles 
of  language  in  general,  and  in  a  liberal  and  generous  spirit ; 
but  the  great  aim  must  ever  be  to  find  out  the  mind  of  God. 
Reference  must  be  had  to  the  genius  and  scope  of  the 
whole  ;  no  words  must  be  wrested  from  their  natural  signi¬ 
fication  ;  and  the  resultant  force  or  import  of  the  whole 
must  be  accepted  as  the  true  signification.  But  we  cannot 
come  to  the  interpretation  of  the  Scripture,  as  to  that  of  the 
writings  of  Wordsworth  or  Goethe;  though  Dr.  B.  seems 
to  intimate  that  both  ought  to  be  interpreted  on  the 
same  principles  ;  for  these  great  poets,  after  all,  are  falli¬ 
ble,  both  as  to  thought  and  expression.  Their  inspira¬ 
tions,  even  if  genuine,  nay  more,  even  if  of  the  same  na¬ 
ture  as  those  of  the  Scripture,  which  we  deny,  are  only  oc¬ 
casional  and  limited,  not  universal  and  absolute.  But  God 
speaks  in  the  Scripture.  He  uses  holy  men  as  his  vehicles  ; 
and  hence  their  style  borrows  something  from  their  indi¬ 
vidual  character  ;  but  God  speaks  in  them  and  by  them. 

His,  then,  are  the  thoughts,  and  his  also  are  the  words.  A 

2 


14 


THEORY  OF 


great  writer,  Dante  or  Shakspeare,  for  example,  embodies 
his  thoughts  in  words ;  hence  their  surpassing  freshness 
and  power.  The  very  diction  of  such  an  one  is  a  sort  of 
incarnation  of  its  author.  Hence  we  call  anything  resem¬ 
bling  it  Dantesque  or  Shakspearean.  So  the  diction  of 
the  Bible  is  divine.  If  it  consists  of  words,  they  are  divine 
words ;  of  forms,  they  are  divine  forms.  This,  if  we  mis¬ 
take  not,  Dr.  B.  admits.  For  example,  the  atonement  is  not 
only  a  fact ,  but  a  ivord  or  a  form.  As  a  fact ,  its  nature 
must  be  ascertained  by  the  history  and  teachings  of  the 
New  Testament.  In  this  sense,  it  is  a  Divine  fact.  But 
the  word  or  form  represents  it ;  and  to  represent  it  properly 
must  be  a  perfect  word  or  form.  Other  words  or  forms  may 
be  used  to  express  it ;  as,  sacrifice,  propitiation,  expiation, 
ransom,  and  so  forth  ;  and  they,  too,  are  divine.  They  have 
a  common  origin,  and  a  common  import.  Indeed,  they 
express  precisely  the  same  thing ;  so  that  under  them,  we 
see  the  one  fact,  and  the  one  form.  This,  Dr.  B.  admits  is 
of  sacred  origin.  It  was  prepared  by  God  himself,  in  the 
old  Jewish  ritual,  and  is  really,  as  he  expresses  it,  a  divine 
form.  It  is,  then,  a  true  and  an  adequate  form.  What  then 
is  its  import  ?  Does  it  involve  the  idea  of  substitution — of 
life  for  life ,  and  consequent  satisfaction  in  law,  for  that  is 
the  ordinary  meaning  of  the  word  atonement  or  propitia¬ 
tion?  So  also  as  to  the  Trinity  and  Incarnation.  The 
Father  is  God;  the  Son  is  God;  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
God.  These,  says  Dr.  B.,  are  revealed  to  us  in  finite  forms. 
What,  then,  do  they  teach  ?  That  God  is  somehow  Three 
in  One,  and  One  in  Three.  But  how  can  that  be  ?  It  is 


THE  INCARNATION. 


15 


a  mystery,  we  reply,  and  that  is  all  that  can  be  said.  If, 
however,  you  proceed  to  say  they  are  mere  names,  or  modes 
of  revelation,  given  us  for  expression  only,  in  other  words, 
finite  manifestations  of  the  absolute  God,  you  assume  more 
than  the  Scripture  authorizes.  What  saith  the  Word  of 
God  here?  What  is  its  plain  and  obvious  teaching? 
Something,  we  conceive,  like  this ;  that  God  the  Father, 
God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit  are  one,  one  in  na¬ 
ture,  in  design  and  in  action.  But  how?  It  is  silent. 
There  commences  the  region  of  mystery,  where  investiga¬ 
tion  must  pause,  and  reason  grow  calm  and  reverent. 

This,  then,  so  far  as  it  lies  within  the  scope  of  our  facul¬ 
ties,  is  a  question  not  so  much  of  language  or  of  logic,  as  of 
fact.  The  Trinity  is  granted  by  Dr.  B.  So  also  is  the 
Incarnation.  But  in  what  sense?  We  reply,  only  as 
modes  of  the  Divine  manifestation.  In  his  view  they 
belong  to  the  sphere  of  language  or  expression,  on  which 
ground  he  is  compelled  to  deny  their  actual  subsistence  in 
the  nature  of  God.  He  may  hesitate — indeed,  he  does 
hesitate  to  avow  this ;  yet,  it  is  the  argument  of  his  whole 
book.  He  makes  the  Trinity  a  series  of  impersonations. 
Hence,  the  incarnation  or  embodiment  of  God,  in  his  view, 
amounts  to  little  more,  in  the  end,  than  the  incarnation  or 
embodiment  of  a  divine  capacity  in  a  human  form,  just  as 
the  universe  is  the  embodiment  of  a  divine  capacity  in  a 
material  form.  The  whole  belongs  to  “the  sphere  of  lan¬ 
guage  or  expression.”  God  is  thus  personified — personified 
not  as  the  absolute  God,  but  as  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 


16 


THEORY  OP 


Ghost.  We  have  the  Logos  in  language;  the  Logos  in 
the  universe  ;  the  Logos  in  Christ ! 

Yet,  Dr.  B.  objects  to  all  theory  and  speculation  upon 
this  great  subject,  and  represents  the  Trinity  as  an  inscru¬ 
table  mystery,  transcending  not  only  all  the  measures  of 
logic  and  language,  but  of  conception  and  thought ! 

In  what,  then,  does  his  error  upon  this  fundamental  sub¬ 
ject  consist  ?  We  reply  unhesitatingly,  in  violating  his 
own  conceded  principles,  and  lapsing,  inconsciously  to  him¬ 
self,  into  one  of  the  boldest  and  wildest  speculations  touch¬ 
ing  the  subsistence  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father.  “In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  (Logos,  Word, 
or  Reason ,  the  Revealer,  as  we  understand  it,  or  more  sim¬ 
ply,  the  Son  and  Image  of  God,)  and  the  Word  was  with 
God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  The  Word  was  made  flesh 
and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as 
of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and 
truth.”  This  is  the  language  of  St.  John,  and  expresses, 
in  a  very  simple  and  striking  way,  the  supreme  Divinity 
and  Incarnation  of  Jesus  Christ.  W e  found  fault  even  with 
Athanasius,  the  father  of  the  Nicene  Creed,  and  the  great 
champion  of  orthodoxy  in  the  early  church,  for  speculating 
on  the  eternal  Sonship  of  Christ ;  and,  especially,  for  de¬ 
scribing  the  “  everlasting  procession  of  God  from  God,”  or 
of  the  Son  from  the  Father,  as  heat  from  fire,  or  light  from 
the  sun.  Will  it  be  believed,  after  our  quotations  from  Dr. 
B.,  that  he  falls  into  a  speculation  still  mom  fanciful  and 
hazardous,  and  makes  the  Divine  Logos,  or  Word,  which 
became  incarnate  in  the  man  Jesus  Christ,  to  consist  in  the 


THE  INCARNATION. 


Divine  Capacity  for  self  expression ,  the  Form  or  Image 
( Imago ,  Eikon )  of  God,  or  his  power  to  mirror,  represent  or 
embody  himself,  as  in  the  material  universe,  or  in  man ; 
thus  making  the  Trinity  (his  cavils  to  the  contrary  not¬ 
withstanding)  a  mere  Trinity  of  manifestation  ox  expression  t 

In  defending  the  doctrine  of  Christ’s  divinity  or  incarna¬ 
tion  against  what  he  deems  the  false  views  of  the  Ortho¬ 
dox  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  heresy  of  the  Unitarians  on 
the  other,  and  anxious,  as  it  seems  to  us,  to  set  the  matter 
in  harmony  with  his  own  philosophical,  or  religious  pre¬ 
conceptions,  he  makes  the  term  Son  a  mere  relative  to 
that  of  Father,  and  finds  the  connection  of  the  Incarnate 
Word  with  the  Divine  Unity,  in  the  power  of  self  express 
sion ,  self  imagination,  or,  as  we  should  say,  self  embodiment ) 
possessed  by  the  absolute  God,  a  speculation  as  bold  and 
intangible  as  that  of  Plato,  Origen,  or  Schelling.  For  what 
is  the  Logos  of  Plato,  particularly  as  developed  by  the 
Neo-Platonists,  but  the  self  consciousness  (Nous)  or  self 
imagination  of  God,  whom  that  old  but  lofty  pagan  actu¬ 
ally  denominates  the  Son  of  God,  by  whom  he  made  the 
worlds  ?  So,  also,  according  to  Dr.  B.,  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
God  in  action ,  God  as  a  presence ;  the  very  idea  of  Plato’s 
Arete,  or  God  of  the  world ;  that  is,  God  actually  working 
in  the  universe.  These,  then,  says  Plato,  are  one,  but  not 
self-subsistent ;  first,  the  absolute  God ;  secondly,  God 
expressed  or  revealed  ;  and,  thirdly,  God  in  action — the  two 
latter  being  merely  embodied  attributes,  or  embodied  imper¬ 
sonations  ! 

Thus,  too,  according  to  Dr.  B.,  the  whole  Trinity  per- 

2* 


THEORY  OF 


tains  to  revelation,  and  depends  on  words  or  forms.  It  is 
modal,  or,  at  best,  instrumental ;  and,  therefore,  has  no 
basis  in  t.he  very  nature  of  the  absolute  God. 

That  we  are  not  misrepresenting  Dr.  B.  here,  the  reader 
will  be  satisfied  by  turning  to  pp.  139,  140 — 445  of  his 
book,  where  he  speaks  of  the  Logos  as  the  self-imagination 
of  God,  and  the  Trinity  and  Incarnation  as  “  devices  of 
revelation,”  and  thus  accounts  for,  or  rather  justifies,  the 
Incarnation  on  natural  grounds ;  leaving  this  irresistible 
conclusion,  that  the  whole  matter  pertains  to  the  mode  of 
revelation,  or  to  the  vehicle  and  instrument  of  the  Divine 
manifestation. 

Should  Dr.  B.  reply  that  he  has  himself  protested  against 
such  a  construction,  or  such  an  inference,  then  we  must  be 
permitted  to  say  that  he  has  protested  against  himself,  and 
proved,  by  such  admission,  that  his  favorite  theory  does  not 
entirely  satisfy  his  own  mind.  Indeed,  the  very  point  we 
are  now  aiming  to  prove  is  that  Dr.  B.  violates  his  own 
conceded  principles,  and  speculates  beyond  his  data  or  pow¬ 
ers  of  investigation.  He  is  himself,  to  some  extent,  con¬ 
scious  of  this,  and  therefore  throws  in  a  caveat  at  the  close 
of  his  discourse,  which,  in  its  broadest  and  most  liberal  sig¬ 
nification,  nullifies  all  he  has  said. 

But  we  will  develop  his  argument  a  little,  and  let  our 
readers  judge  for  themselves. 

Dr.  B.  first  takes  us  to  the  Absolute  God,  and  gives  us  a 
representation  of  his  essential  nature  as  unrevealed ;  a  rep¬ 
resentation  which  may  or  may  not  be  true,  as  it  is  under¬ 
stood  by  himself  and  others.  He  gives  us  the  conception 


THE  INCARNATION. 


19 


of  a  God,  who  is  nothing  but  Being,  absolute  Essence  or 
Existence,  without  consciousness,  or  conscious  reflection,  a 
being  without  thought,  without  affection,  without  person¬ 
ality,  that  is  without  any  thing  which  is  tangible  to  our 
minds,  the  absolute  God  of  Kant,  Fichte,  Hegel  and 
Schelling,  who  is  so  absolute  that  he  is  not  even  conscious 
of  himself,  has  neither  intellect  nor  will,  freedom  nor  voli¬ 
tion,  but  is  simply  Being,  impersonal,  unreflective,  infinite, 
everlasting. 

That  God  has  no  thought,  no  action  and  reaction,  no  re¬ 
flection  and  deliberation  such  as  we  finite  creatures  have, 
is  certainly  true.  But  is  there  no  thought  but  what  is  finite  ? 
Is  there  nothing  in  God  corresponding  to  what  we  call  in¬ 
tuition,  or  insight,  that  is,  the  vision  or  consciousness  of 
universal  ideas,  like  those  of  space,  time,  cause,  truth,  right, 
unity,  infinity,  eternity,  and  so  forth  ;  no  sense -or  conscious¬ 
ness  of  beauty,  love,  perfection,  no  self-knowledge,  and  self¬ 
blessedness  ?  Does  the  mere  infinitude  of  God  destroy  his 
conscious  and  moral  nature,  his  personality  and  will,  his 
self-intuition  and  self-enjoyment  ?  But  all  that  Dr.  B. 
means  to  affirm  is,  that  without  a  revelation  we  can  know 
him  only  as  Being,  not  that  he  is  not  infinitely  more  than 
this,  but  that  without  some  manifestation  of  himself  in 
finite  forms,  we  can  know  him  only  as  absolute  and  imper¬ 
sonal  existence.*  We  say,  that  without  a  revelation  we 


*  “  Nature,”  says  Ilegel,  “  is  God  coming  to  self-consciousness.  God  reveals 
himself  in  creation,  or  in  the  universe,  by  a  series  of  eternal  unfoldings,  some  in 
matter  and  some  in  mind.”  “The  Divine  Being,”  says  Schelling,  “once  hidden, 
has  a  perpetual  tendency  to  self-revelation.  The  Absolute  reproduces  himself  in 
nature,  in  man,  and  in  Jesus  Christ.”  This  is  Pantheism. 


20 


THEORY  OF 


cannot  know  him  at  all,  either  as  Being  or  as  any  thing 
else.  And  therefore  it  is  of  no  use  to  speculate  how  he 
may  reveal  himself.  A  priori,  we  can  say  nothing  upon  the 
subject.  He  has  revealed  himself,  in  nature,  in  man  and 
in  Jesus  Christ ;  and  we  can  reason  about  God  only  as  thus 
revealed.  We  cannot  go  back  of  the  revelation  and  say, 
God,  as  a  possible  being,  must  reveal  himself  so  and  so. 
The  Incarnation  can  be  justified  a  posteriori ,  that  is,  as  a 
matter  of  fact.  It  has  revealed  God — it  has  brought  him 
home  to  our  heart.  It  has  made  him  real  and  warm  to  our 
spiritual  and  immortal  nature.  Above  all,  it  has  given  him 
to  us  as  a  Saviour  and  a  friend,  who  reconciles  us  to  himself, 
and  makes  us  partakers  of  his  glory.  But  this  is  all  we 
can  say  of  him  in  such  connection.  Beyond  this  simple, 
practical  statement  of  the  matter,  all  is  useless  hypothesis 
and  conjecture. 

We  are  aware  that  Dr.  B.  has  given  us  his  bald  rep¬ 
resentation”  of  the  unrevealed  or  absolute  God,  not  as  the 
reality  of  the  case,  but  as  a  basis  for  his  argument  touch¬ 
ing  the  Trinity  and  Incarnation  as  the  necessary  instru- 
ments  or  vehicles  of  his  self-manifestation.  He  must  give 
himself  to  us,  he  says,  through  finite  forms  and  processes, 
by  actions  and  reactions,  by  contrasts  and  contradictions. 
So  that  our  minds,  using  these  as  a  sort  of  ladder,  must  la¬ 
boriously  struggle  upward  to  the  conception  of  his  Essence 
and  glory.  That  this  is  a  false  representation,  we  will 
not  affirm  dogmatically ;  but  it  deserves  inquiry,  whether, 
as  spiritual  beings  ourselves,  having  original  powers, 
and  the  capacity  of  forming  universal  ideas,  we  do  not 


THE  INCARNATION. 


21 


possess,  or  at  least  gain,  instinctively,  the  idea  of  the  in¬ 
finite,  the  perfect  and  eternal,  by  an  intuition ;  whether, 
from  the  multiform,  the  relative,  the  conditioned,  the  finite, 
the  formal,  we  do  not,  by  the  necessary  action  of  our  own 
minds,  rise  to  the  conception  of  the  One,  the  Absolute,  the 
Unconditioned,  the  Infinite  and  the  Spiritual,  that  is,  of  the 
Eternal  God.  Moreover,  being  moral  beings,  having  native 
conceptions  of  the  true,  the  right,  the  beautiful,  the  good, 
•  do  we  not  transfer  these  ideas  or  conceptions  to  the  idea  or 
conception  of  God  ;  so  that,  from  our  very  nature — without 
sounds,  colors,  changes,  actions  and  reactions,  and  above 
all,  contradictions — we  gain  the  conception  of  the  one  great, 
all-perfect,  all-glorious  God,  in  whom  we  live  and  move  and 
have  our  being? 

This,  we  think,  is  the  philosophical  as  well  as  scriptural 
view  of  the  matter ;  but  according  to  Dr.  B.,  God  first 
struggles  to  reveal  himself  by  contrasts  and  contradictions, 
and  then  we  struggle  to  discover  him,  by  the  same  con- 

i 

trasts  and  contradictions !  He  has  first  to  dramatize  or 
distribute  himself,  like  Brama  on  the  stars,  while  we,  spec¬ 
tators  of  the  drama,  have  to  interpret  it  as  best  we  can ! 

But  the  difficulty  in  our  present  state  does  not  seem  to 
be  in  gaining  the  idea  of  an  infinite  God,  as  in  completely 
realizing  it,  especially  in  reaching  the  conviction  that  He 
loves  us,  notwithstanding  our  guilt,  and  will  pardon  our  in¬ 
iquity.  The  great  problem  to  be  solved  is,  “  How  shall  man 
be  just  with  God?”  For  this  an  Incarnation  seems  abso¬ 
lutely  necessary.  Had  we  never  sinned,  the  Incarnation, 
for  aught  that  we  know,  might  never  have  taken  place.  Man 


22 


THEORY  OF 


as  innocent  knew  God,  and  knew  Him  perfectly.  Formed 
in  His  image,  the  idea,  the  love,  the  presence  of  God  were 
familiar  to  his  mind.  Indeed,  he  lived  in  God  as  his  natu¬ 
ral  element.  Love  divine  bathed  his  spirit,  and  kept  it  ra¬ 
diant  and  beautiful.  His  whole  nature  mirrored  the  infinite, 
as  the  ocean  mirrors  the  heights  of  the  starry  heavens. 

It  is  the  fall,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  that  necessitates  the 
incarnation.  Man  had  forgotten  God.  Wandering  from 
his  centre  and  his  end,  he  became  debased  and  wretched, 
u  without  God  and  without  hope  in  the  world.”  On 
which  account,  God  interposed  by  an  incarnation  and 
atonement  to  bring  him  back  to  himself.  “  God  is  in 
Christ  reconciling  the  world  un!o  himself.”  Hence,  we 
conclude  that  to  be  incarnated ,  is  a  very  different  thing 
from  being  inworlded.  A  descent  to  earth  in  human  form, 
for  the  salvation  of  the  lost  by  means  of  suffering  and 
death,  bears,  to  say  the  least,  a  very  different  aspect  from 
creating  the  worlds  by  his  all-commanding  fiat.  In  the 
one  case  God  spake  and  it  was  done ;  he  commanded,  and 
it  stood  fast.  And  thus,  while  the  Creator  of  the  earth 
and  skies,  he  is  ever  above  them  and  beyond  them.  In 
no  proper  sense  are  they  God,  or  a  part  of  God  ;  and  if  God 
is  in  them,  by  a  manifestation,  or  a  presence,  it  is  simply 
as  a  power  or  an  agency.  But  in  the  case  of  the  Incar¬ 
nation,  he  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  man,  veiled  his 
Deity  in  flesh,  and  went  forth  in  the  man  Jesus  Christ, 
in  toil  and  sorrow  and  death,  to  work  out  the  salvation 
of  the  lost. 

The  Incarnation,  therefore,  while  in  beautiful  harmony 


T  H  E  INCARNATION. 


23 


with  the  ordinary  methods  of  the  Divine  manifestation, 
seems  to  possess  a  character  of  its  own,  which  cannot  be 
explained,  by  reference  to  the  creation  of  the  world,  or 
other  methods  in  which  God  has  made  himself  known  to 
his  creatures.  Nature,  indeed,  as  a  product  of  God,  or  a 
revelation  of  his  glory  is  a  great  mystery  How  the  di¬ 
vine  is  inworlded  we  cannot  tell ;  so  that  in  this  particular 
sense,  there  exists  some  analogy  between  the  creation  and 
the  Incarnation.  But  no  one  is  authorized  to  affirm  that 
these  facts  are  identical  in  their  nature,  or  that  the  Incar¬ 
nation  does  not  involve  a  mystery,  over  and  above  that  of  the 
creation  of  the  world.  “And  without  controversy,  great  is 
the  mystery  of  godliness ;  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
justified  in  the  spirit,  seen  of  angels,  believed  on  in  the 
world,  received  up  into  glory.’7  Here,  evidently,  is  some¬ 
thing  far  transcending  any  mere  manifestation  of  Divine 
power,  wisdom,  and  love,  in  the  natural  creation,  or  in  the 
frame-work  and  constitution  of  the  human  mind.  God, 
though  inworlded ,  or  embodied  in  the  world,  is  yet  not 
identical  with  the  world,  otherwise  pantheism  is  true,  and 
the  world  ought  to  be  worshipped  !  But  he  is  identical 
with  Jesus  Christ.  They  are  one.  The  union  here  is  ab¬ 
solute  and  peculiar,  and  far  transcending  anything  existing 
in  nature.  God  is  not  only  in  Christ,  but  in  Christ  in  such 
a  way,  that  the  latter  is  truly  God,  and  therefore  an  object 
of  trust,  adoration  and  worship.  So  that,  we  naturally 
infer  that  die  Trinity  and  Incarnation  are  not  merely  “  de¬ 
vices”  or,  if  you  please,  vehicles  and  instruments  by  which 
the  “Absolute  God”  reveals  himself  to  man,  but  some- 


24 


THEORY  OP 


thing  far  beyond  this,  something  pertaining  to  the  very 
nature  of  God  himself. 

Of  course  we  will  not  enter  the  arcana  of  the  Divine 
essence,  or  speculate  upon  what  Dr.  B.  calls  “the  contents” 
of  this  great  mystery,  whether  in  the  nature  of  the  abso¬ 
lute  God,  or  of  Jesus  Christ,  “  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,” 
for  this  would  be  going  beyond  our  depth ;  but  we  do  say, 
that  there  is  something  here  far  beyond  all  expression, 
which  we  can  neither  fathom  nor  comprehend.  What  we 
object  to  is,  that  Dr.  B.  should  confine  this  mystery  to  the 
mere  revelation  or  expression  of  the  Divine  nature,  and 
make  the  incarnation  of  Christ  identical,  in  some  degree, 
with  the  creation  of  the  Universe;  in  other  words,  represent 
it  as  a  mere  finite  impersonation  or  one  of  a  series  of  imper-  . 
sonations  of  the  one  Absolute  God.  Of  the  mode  of 
existence  or  action  here,  we  say  nothing  ;  for  both  in  phi¬ 
losophy  and  in  religion,  we  are  often  competent  to  say  what  is, 
but  not,  how  it  is.  That  Jesus  Christ  is  God  incarnate, — 
that  he  existed  from  eternity  in  God,  or  “  with  God,”  to 
use  the  expression  of  St.  John ;  nay,  that  from  all  eternity 
he  u  was  God,”  the  true  and  everlasting  Life,  we  affirm  in 
the  most  unequivocal  terms ;  for  this  is  but  to  repeat  the 
plain  letter  of  the  Scripture  itself.  But  there  we  leave  the 
high  mystery,  without  a  single  word  of  explanation. 

Dr.  B.,  however,  interposes  just  at  this  point,  and  affirms 
that  the  Logos ,  the  Word,  which  in  time  was  u  made 
flesh,”  as  St.  John  affirms,  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  a  only  begotten  Son  of  God,”  was  “  the  capacity  in 
God  for  self-expression,  or  self  embodiment,  such  as  we  see 


THE  INCARNATION. 


25 


in  the  creation  of  the  natural  universe.  Speaking  of  the 
absolute  God,  as  utterly  unknown  and  unapproachable 
without  a  revelation,  he  proposes  to  consider  (p.  145)  “  by 
what  process  he  will  be  revealed,”  and  adds  as  follows  : 

11  There  is  in  God,  taken  as  the  Absolute  Being,  a  ca¬ 
pacity  of  self-expression,  so  to  speak,  which  is  peculiar — a 
generative  power  of  form,  a  creative  imagination,  in 
which  and  by  aid  of  which,  He  can  produce  Himself  out¬ 
wardly  or  represent  Himself  in  the  unite.  In  this  respect 
God  is  wholly  unlike  us.  Our  imagination  is  passive, 
stored  with  forms,  colors,  and  types  of  words  from  without, 
borrowed  from  the  world  we  live  in.  But  all  such  forms, 
God  has  in  Himself,  and  this  is  the  Logos,  the  Word, 
elsewhere  called  the  Form  of  God.  Now  this  Word,  this 
Form  of  God  in  which  he  sees  himself,  is  with  God,  as 
John  says,  from  the  beginning.  It  is  God  mirrored  before 
his  own  understanding,  and  to  be  mirrored,  as  in  frag¬ 
ments  of  the  mirror  before  us.  Conceive  him  now  as  crea¬ 
ting  the  worlds,  or  creating  worlds,  if  you  please,  from 
eternity.  In  so  doing  he  only  represents,  expresses,  or  out¬ 
wardly  produces  Himself.  He  bodies  out  his  own 
thoughts.  What  we  call  the  creation,  is,  in  another  view, 
a  revelation  only  of  God,  His  first  revelation. 

“  And  it  is  in  this  view  that  the  W ord,  or  Logos,  else¬ 
where  called  Christ,  or  the  Son  of  God,  is  represented  as 
the  Creator  of  the  worlds.  Or  it  is  said,  which  is  only 
another  form  of  the  same  truth,  that  the  worlds  were 
made  by  or  through  him,  and  the  Apostle  John  adds,  that 

3 


26 


THEORY  OP 


without  Him  is  not  any  thing  made  that  was  made.” — 
(pp.  145-6.) 

So,  also,  (p.  168,)  he  says  :  “  Thus  the  Divine  Word  or 
Logos,  who  is  from  eternity  the  Form  or  in  the  Form  of 
God,  after  having  first  bodied  him  forth  in  the  creation  and 
government  of  the  world,  now  makes  another  outgoing 
from  the  Absolute  into  the  human,  to  reside  in  the  human, 
as  a  being  of  it ;  thus,  to  communicate  God  to  the  world, 
and  thus  to  ingenerate  in  the  world  goodness  and  life, 
as  from  Him.” 

The  Incarnation,  then,  is  an  impersonation  of  the  Logos, 
or  the  capacity  of  God  for  self-expression,  such  as  exists 
in  the  material  creation.  But  we  need  to  see  and  to  feel 
God  acting  in  us,  as  well  as  set  before  us ;  hence,  accord¬ 
ing  to  Dr.  B.,  follows  another  impersonation  of  God,  that, 
namely,  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  “  as  action  of  any  kind 
is  representable  to  us  only  under  the  conditions  of  move¬ 
ment  in  time  and  space,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  not 
predicable  of  the  Absolute  Being.”  *  *  “  God,  in  act, 
will  be  given  us  by  another  finite,  relative  impersonation .” 
(p.  17.) 

Without  noticing  the  circumstance  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
nowhere  in  the  Scripture  called  the  Form  of  God,  but  is 
simply  stated  to  be  in  the  Form,  image,  or  likeness  of  God, 
and  thence  “  equal  with  God without  dwelling  upon 
the  consideration  that  the  Word  or  Logos  of  St.  John,  is 
represented  not  as  a  capacity  or  an  attribute  of  God,  but  as 
&  person  ox  an  agent ,  nay,  as  absolutely  God  himself,  and  that 


THE  INCARNATION. 


27 


not  within  the  conditions  or  restrictions  of  time  ;  for  “  the 
Word  was  not  only  “  with  God,”  but  “  was  God,”  from  the 
beginning ,  nay,  “  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us,  and 
we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of 
the  Father” — without  dwelling  upon  either  of  these  consid¬ 
erations,  we  here  call  attention  to  the  clear  and  well  de¬ 
fined  theory  of  Dr.  B.,  upon  which  his  whole  system  of 
belief  pertaining  to  the  Trinity  and  Incarnation  is  made 
to  hinge.  It  is  simply  this.  There  is  one  Absolute  God 
who  personifies  himself  in  three  finite  forms,  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  personifications 
grow  out  of  the  necessities  of  revelation,  and  are  relative 
only  to  our  minds.  In  a  word,  the  Trinity  is  a  mere  “  de¬ 
vice”  of  revelation,  is  modal  or  instrumental,  and  serves  this 
grand  purpose,  and  this  only,  namely,  to  give  us  the  one 
true  and  absolute  God.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Logos  incar¬ 
nate,  in  other  words,  an  impersonation  of  the  Form  or 
self-imagination  of  God  ;  while  the  Holy  Spirit  is  an  im¬ 
personation  of  the  Divine  energy ,  or  God  as  acting  in  us 
and  through  us.  “Thus,”  he  says,  (p.  173,)  “we  have 
three  persons  or  impersonations,  all  existing  under  finite 
conditions  or  conceptions.  They  are  relatives,  and  in  that 
view  are  not  infinites,  for  relative  infinites  are  impossible. 
And  yet,  taken  representatively,  they  are  each  and  all  in¬ 
finites,  because  they  stand  for  and  express  the  Infinite, 
Absolute  Jehovah.” 

The  object,  then,  of  the  Trinity  is,  simply,  to  reveal,  to 
“  dramatize”  God,  “  to  bring  forth  into  life  about  us  that 


28 


THEORY  OF 


Infinite  One,  who,  to  our  mere  thought,  were  no  better  than 
Brama  sleeping  on  eternity  and  the  stars.”  # 

Doubtless,  the  Incarnation  and  the  Trinity  serve  to  re- 


*  We  can  see  no  difference  between  the  theory  of  Dr.  Bushnell  and  that  of 
Sabellius,  as  developed  so  learnedly  and  acutely  from  the  fragments,  which  are 
all  that  remain  to  us  of  his  extensive  writings,  by  Schleiermacher  and  Neander, 
unless  it  be  in  this  particular,  that  Sabellius  is  supposed  sometimes  to  apply  the 
name  of  Father  to  the  absolute  God,  while  Dr.  B.  uses  it  as  a  relative  to  that  of 
Son,  revealed  in  time,  and  representing  not  the  absolute  God,  but  that  imperson¬ 
ation  of  him  which  is  made  by  the  inebriation.  With  this  slight  exception  their 
theories  are  precisely  alike.  Sabellius  first  finds  the  absolute  God,  or  what  he 
terms  the  original  Monas ,  or  One,  and  makes  the  names  Father.  Logos,  and  Holy 
Ghost,  designations  of  three  different  phases,  under  which  the  Divine  Essence  re¬ 
veals  itself.  “  How  the  one  Divine  Essence  comes  to  be  called  by  various  names, 
according  to  the  different  relations,  or  modes  of  activity  into  which  it  enters,  he 
sought  to  illustrate  by  various  comparisons.  What  the  Apostle  Paul  says  about 
the  relations  of  the  multifarious  modes  of  activity  and  gifts  of  one  Spirit,  who, 
persisting  in  his  Oneness,  exhibits  himself,  notwithstanding,  in  these  manifold 
forms, — this,  Sabellius  transferred  to  the  self-evolution  of  the  Monad  into  the 
Triad.  That  which  is  in  itself,  and  continues  to  be,  one,  presents  itself,  in  its 
manifestation,  as  three-fold.  He  is  said,  also,  to  have  made  use  of  the  following 
comparison,  drawn  from  the  sun.  ‘As  in  the  sun  we  may  distinguish  its  proper 
substance,  its  round  shape,  and  its  power  of  communicating  warmth  and  light, 
so  may  we  distinguish  in  God  his  proper  self-subsistent  essence,  the  illuminating 
power  of  the  Logos,  and  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  diffusing  the  warmth 
and  glow  of  life  through  the  hearts  of  believers.’  He  did  not  scruple  to  make 
use  of  the  Church  phrase,  “  three  persons,  tres  persona},  but  he  took  it  in  another 
sense,  (Dr.  Bushnell’s)  as  denoting  different  parts,  or  personifications,  which  the 
one  Divine  Essence  assumed  according  to  varying  circumstances  and  occasions. 
According  as  it  behooved  that  God  should  be  represented  acting  in  this  or  that 
particular  way,  so  would  the  same  one  subject  be  introduced  in  the  Sacred  Scrip¬ 
tures,  under  different  personifications,  as  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit.  According  to 
this  theory,  the  self-development  of  the  Divine  Essence,  proceeding  forth  from 
the  unity  of  its  solitary,  absolute  being,  is  the  ground  and  presupposition  of  the 
whole  creation.’  The  sef-exjnession ”  (Dr.  B.’s  self-expression,  self-imagination 
or  Logos)  of  the  Supreme  Being,  the,  ON,  becoming  the  Logos,  is  the  ground  of  all 
existence.  Hence,  says  Sabellius,  ‘  God  silent,  is  inactive  ;  but  speaking,  is  active. 
*  *  *  ‘To  the  end,’  says  Sabellius,  ‘that,  we  might  be  created,  the  Logos  came 

forth  from  God.’  So,  also,  mankind  sinning,  it  became  necessary  for  that  Arche¬ 
typal  Logos  himself  to  descend  into  human  nature,  in  order  that  he  might  per¬ 
fectly  realize  the  image  of  God  in  humanity,  and  redeem  the  souls  which  are 
akin  to  him.” 

“  According  to  this  system,”  says  Neandpr,  from  whom  we  give  it  in  a  con¬ 
densed  form,  “  the  personality  of  Christ  has  no  eternal  subsistence — it  is  a  mere 
finite  impersonation,  and  when  the  work  of  redemption  is  concluded,  returns 
into  the  unity  of  God.”  How  strikingly  all  this  coincides  with  Dr.  Bushnell’s 
views,  the  most  casual  reader  must  acknowledge. 


THE  INCARNATION. 


29 


veal  God  to  our  minds ;  nay,  more,  to  bring  him  home  to 
our  hearts.  But  is  this  all  ?  Are  we  to  affirm  that  these 
distinctions  are  resolvable  into  modes  and  conditions  of  rev¬ 
elation?  Are  we  to  assume  that  we  so  thoroughly  under¬ 
stand  God,  as  an  absolute  eternal  Being,  existing  in  modes, 
and  possessing  af tributes,  infinitely  transcending  all  our 
capacities  of  thought  and  reason,  as  to  say  that  he  must 
so  reveal  himself ;  or  that  he  is  so  absolutely  one,  as  to 
possess  in  himself  no  basis  for  the  revelation  or  manifesta¬ 
tion  of  himself  as  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  ?  Of  course  we  affirm  nothing  here,  for  we  confess 
our  profound  ignorance  of  the  interior  nature  of  God.  But 
we  cannot  allow  Dr.  B.,  or  any  one  else,  however  acu'e, 
to  assume  more  than  we  ourselves  are  authorized  to  assume 
upon  this  subject,  or  to  affirm  that  the  Trinity  or  Incarna¬ 
tion  is  a  “device,”  mode,  vehicle ,  or  “ instrument  ”  of  revela¬ 
tion,  and  nothing  more.  Indeed,  Dr.  B.  is  not  satisfied  with 
his  own  explanations  ;  and,  after  all  his  speculations,  rejects 
the  term  modal  in  application  to  the  Trinity,  and  leaves 
himself  and  his  heamrs  in  a  mystery  as  profound  and  in¬ 
scrutable  as  ever.  He  prefers  the  word  instrumental  Trin¬ 
ity ,  and  speaks  hesitatingly  of  the  persons  in  that  Trinity 
as  instrumental  persons ;  and  adds,  that  he  will  not  specu¬ 
late  upon  “  the  Contents  of  the  Divine  Nature,”  and  prefers 
to  be  left  “  in  a  maze  ”  upon  the  subject.  He  then  con¬ 
tends  for  the  Divine  Unity^  which  no  Trinitarian  has  ever 
denied,  and,  renouncing  speculation,  comes  round  to  the 
simple  conclusion,  where  we  shall  certainly  meet  him,  that 

it  is  better  far  “  to  baptize  our  over  curious  spirits  into  the 

3* 


/ 


30 


THEORY  OF 


name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
teach  it  quietly  to  rest  in  what  of  God’s  infinite  nature  it 
may  there  receive.”  He  then  speaks  tenderly  of  the  u  im¬ 
mense  outlay  which  God  has  made  to  communicate  Him¬ 
self  to  our  race and  remarks,  with  a  feeling  of  devo¬ 
tion  to  which  all  Christian  hearts  must  respond,  “  it  is  in 
this  view  that  the  Blessed  Three  come  to  me  with  a  sound 
so  dear,  and  a  burden  of  love  so  rich.” 

Thus,  by  a  happy  inconsistency,  Dr.  B.  vindicates  the 
ineffable  mystery  of  the  Sacred  Trinity;  so  that  at  the 
close  of  his  elaborate,  but  unsatisfactory  discourse,  we  find 
ourselves  standing  with  him,  before  the  throne  of  God  and 
of  the  Lamb,  protesting  against  his  errors,  and  j^et  adoring 
together  the  one,  true,  and  eternal  God,  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost ;  One  in  Three,  and  Three  in  One.  Here, 
then,  in  this  single  practical  view,  we  give  him  the  right- 
hand  of  fellowship.  Casting  away  all  intangible  specula¬ 
tions  and  theories  as  useless  and  worse  than  useless,  and 
recognizing  one  God  and  one  Saviour,  who  is  above  all, 
through  all,  and  in  all,  let  us  go  forth  to  enthrone  Jesus 
Christ,  in  the  hearts  of  our  fellow  men,  as  the  Way,  the 
Truth,  and  the  Life. 


We  now  proceed  to  consider  Dr.  B.’s  views  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  the  Atonement,  which  may  be  regarded  as  the 
central  truth  of  the  gospel,  forming,  as  it  does,  the 
basis  of  our  hope  for  eternity,  and  the  means  of  our  resto¬ 
ration  to  the  Divine  image. 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


31 


Before  entering  into  any  specific  discussion  of  his  main 
argument,  we  beg  to  note  some  things  of  a  general  kind 
pertaining  to  his  discourse,  which  we  think  deserve  atten¬ 
tion. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  delivered  before  the  Divinity 
School  at  Cambridge,  to  which  place  Dr.  B.  was  invited 
under  the  supposition  that  his  theological  peculiarities  had 
a  strong  bent  towards  the  Unitarian  system.  Of  course 
there  could  be  no  great  harm  in  this ;  but  it  created  a  pe¬ 
culiar  expectation  on  the  part  of  his  auditors,  and  im¬ 
posed  upon  him  a  most  delicate  and  weighty  responsi¬ 
bility.  It  is  well  known  that  in  that  school,  the  plenary 
inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  the  supreme  Divinity  of  Christ, 
the  doctrine  of  an  expiatory  atonement,  and  truths  of  a 
kindred  character,  are  most  earnestly  combated.  It  is  also 
well  known  that  the  students  are  of  all  shades  of  opinion, 
some  of  them  going  as  far  as  Theodore  Parker  himself, 
and  rejecting  some  of  those  truths  of  the  Christian  faith,  to 
which  the  great  body  of  Unitarians  yet  profess  to  cling. 
It  was  only  a  few  years  before,  that  Ralph  Waldo  Emer¬ 
son,  who  denies  the  personality  of  God,  and  speaks  of  his¬ 
torical  Christianity  with  contempt,  as  something  entirely 
behind  the  age,  had  been  invited,  by  the  same  school,  to 
address  them  on  a  like  occasion.*  Such  was  the  effect  of 

*  It  was  in  this  address,  delivered  at  the  request  of  the  senior  class  in  the  Di¬ 
vinity  School,  that  Mr.  Emerson  spoke  of  the  religious  sentiment  “  as  mountain 
air” — “  the  embalmer  of  the  world” — as  “  myrrh,  storax,  and  chlorine  and  rose¬ 
mary  and  affirmed  that  the  time  is  coming  when  we  shall  be  taught  to  believe 
“  in  the  identity  of  the  law  of  gravitation,  with  purity  of  heart,”  “  that  the  age  of 
inspiration  is  not  passed,”  that  “  a  miracle  is  one  with  the  blowing  clover  and 
the  falling  rain.”  and  that  “  a  true  Christ  is  now,  as  always,  to  be  made  by  the  re? 


32 


THEORY  OF 


his  address  that  Dr.  Andrews  Norton,  and  the  late  Dr. 
Ware,  Jun.,  felt  themselves  called  upon  to  protest  against 
this  u  latest  form  of  infidelity,”  and  even  to  defend  the 
personality  of  God.  One  of  the  Professors  of  said  Di¬ 
vinity  School,  now  a  distinguished  politician,  it  is  said,  jus¬ 
tified  himself  in  abandoning  his  office,  by  remarking,  that 
he  could  do  no  good  there,  for  all  the  students  were  either 
mystics ,  sceptics ,  or  dyspeptics  !  That  such  young  gentle¬ 
men  needed  any  special  caution  against  the  errors  of  the 
orthodox,  may  be  safely  denied.  Possibly,  also,  it  may  be 
conceded,  that  they  would  be  quite  willing  to  take  some 
severe  hits  themselves,  provided  they  could  only  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  orthodoxy  fairly  demolished. 

All  this,  however,  we  acknowledge  would  be  of  little 
account,  were  it  not  for  another  fact,  with  which  the  pub¬ 
lic  are  familiar.  It  is  well  known  that  Dr.  B.  has  con¬ 
ceived  the  idea  of  a  deeper  and  more  comprehensive  sys¬ 
tem  of  theological  belief,  under  the  broad  banner  of  which 
the  most  discordant  and  even  contradictory  opinions  may 
range  themselves  in  perfect  harmony.  A  bold  idea — per¬ 
haps  a  generous  one  ;  yet,  in  view  of  all  the  possibilities 
in  the  case,  an  extremely  difficult  and  even  hazardous  one. 
Eclectic  philosophies,  and  even  eclectic  religions  are 

ception  of  beautiful  sentiments.”  In  a  word,  he  intimated  that  Christianity  is  a 
simple  mythos,  like  the  creeds  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  a  little  more  ele¬ 
vated  and  beautiful,  to  be  sure,  but,  like  them,  historically  past— in  form  and  fact, 
imperfect  and  evanescent,  and  leaving  behind  it  only  a  few  elements  of  pure  and 
permanent  truth. 

When  these  sentiments  were  denounced  by  some  of  the  older  professors,  an 
“  Alumnus”  of  the  Divinity  School,  and  at  that  time  a  pastor  of  one  of  the  Uni¬ 
tarian  churches  in  Boston,  (Mr.  Ripley,)  undertook  their  defence,  and  on  the 
grounds  generally  assumed  by  his  brethren,  made  out  a  very  plausible  case. 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


33 


somewhat  the  order  of  the  day.  They  are  especially  pop¬ 
ular  with  the  subtle  and  daring  metaphysicians  and  theo¬ 
logians  of  France  and  Germany.  Conciliation  or  at-one- 
ment  is  the  grand  aim  ;  but  whether  it  can  be  accom¬ 
plished,  except  by  an  extensive  compromise  on  the  part  of 
the  friends  of  truth,  is  a  question  yet  in  debate. 

That  such  conciliation  between  Unitarians  and  Trinita¬ 
rians,  or  between  rationalists  and  orthodox,  is  utterly  hope¬ 
less,  we  will  not  venture  to  affirm,  and  yet,  at  first  blush,  it 
would  seem  an  impossibility  to  bring  together  those  who 
love  and  adore  Jesus  Christ  as  the  true  God  and  eternal 
Life,  and  those  who  brand  such  love  and  worship  as  irra¬ 
tional  and  idolatrous.  We  cherish  a  high  respect  for  some 
of  the  more  devout  Unitarians,  who  seem  to  be  rising  into 
a  purer  theological  and  religious  atmosphere,  but  their  only 
hope  of  rescue  from  the  paralysing  influence  of  their  sys¬ 
tem,  lies,  we  humbly  conceive,  in  its  utter  abandonment. 
There  are  few  men,  moreover,  to  whose  talents  we  pay  a 
more  cheerful  homage  than  to  those  of  our  friend  and 
brother,  upon  whose  discourse  we  take  the  liberty  of  com¬ 
menting,  but  we  do  not  believe  that  they  are  equal  to  such  a 
Herculean  task. 

But  it  will  easily  be  seen  that  Dr.  B.  was  bound,  if  pos¬ 
sible,  to  construct  his  discourse  in  such  a  way,  that  it 
might  help,  not  only  “  to  reduce  the  theological  antipa¬ 
thies”  which  exist  between  the  orthodox  and  the  Unita¬ 
rians,  u  but  lead  to  a  reconstruction  of  their  present  theologi¬ 
cal  affinities.”  He  had  it  for  an  object,  which  he  deemed 
inexpressibly  desirable,  to  bring  together,  under  some  com- 


34 


THEORY  OF 


mon  theory,  free  from  the  difficulties  which,  in  his  view, 
embarrass  both  sides  of  the  controversy,  certain  views  of 
theological  truth  hitherto  considered  diametrically  opposite. 
If,  then,  we  find  some  apparently  heterogeneous  elements 
and  arguments  brought  together  in  this  elaborate  and  com¬ 
prehensive  discourse,  it  need  occasion  no  surprise.  The  key 
to  the  solution  of  such  a  phenomenon  may  be  found  in  its 
peculiar  psychological  and  theological  history. 

We  do  not,  of  course,  mean  to  convey  the  idea,  that  Dr. 
B.  would  knowingly  yield  any  thing  which  he  deemed  true, 
to  please  the  Unitarians  or  even  the  orthodox ;  but  taking 
human  nature  as  it  is,  and  taking  into  account,  also,  his 
peculiar  pre-conceptions  and  wishes,  it  would  not  be  deemed 
strange,  if,  in  his  endeavor  to  conciliate  opposite  doctrines, 
he  might  himself  fall  into  some  serious  errors,  and  only 
add  one  more  to  the  various  speculations  which  perplex 
the  theological  world. 

2.  Another  thing  worth  noticing  is  the  fact  mentioned 
by  Dr.  B.  himself,  that  he  prepared  his  discourse,  after 
having  just  “  emerged  from  a  state  of  protracted  suspense, 
or  mental  conflict,  in  reference  to  what  is  called,  theologi¬ 
cally,  the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement.”  The  practical  im¬ 
port  or  value  (moment  he  calls  it)  of  the  doctrine  had 
been  sufficiently  plain  ;  but  the  difficulty  had  been  to  bring 
its  elements  into  “  one  theologic  view.”  Hence  he  tells 
us  that  the  subject  had  been  ‘-hung  up  before  him”  for 
experiment  and  inquiry  ;  and  that  now  the  needed  “  solu¬ 
tion  ”  had  seemed  to  reveal  itself  to  his  mind. 

Dr.  B.,  it  seems,  understood  the  Atonement  as  a  practi- 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


35 


cal  thing ;  but  its  relation  to  theology  had  puzzled  him. 
He  had  relied  on  Jesus  Christ  as  his  hope,  but  he  could 
not  bring  the  fact  into  coherence  or  unity  with  his  system 
of  theological,  or  perhaps  philosophical,  belief. 

His  discourse,  then,  is  proposed  as  a  u  true  solution”  of 
the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement,  just  as  his  first  discourse 
was  proposed  as  a  u  true  solution”  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity.  Now  every  solution  of  this  kind  must  come  to 
us  in  the  form  of  a  speculation  or  a  dogma,  of  which,  in 
other  parts  of  his  volume,  Dr.  B.  has  discovered  such  in¬ 
tense  horror.*  Does  it  not,  then,  deserve  inquiry,  whether 
a  solution  of  this  kind,  based,  as  it  must  be,  on  speculative 
grounds,  is  possible  or  even  desirable  in  regard  to  either  of 
these  sacred  mysteries,  at  least  in  our  present,  finite 
and  imperfect  condition  of  being.  As  in  the  case  of  the 
Incarnation,  is  there  not,  in  this  great  fact  of  Atonement, 
both  as  to  its  methods  and  ends,  something,  at  least,  ab¬ 
solutely  insoluble  or  mysterious?  Will  any  philosophical 
dogma  or  speculation  comprehend  it  ?  Will  it  be  possible 
to  make  our  argumentations  upon  such  a  subject  cohere  at 
all  points,  so  that  there  shall  not  be  left  some  apparent 
difficulty  or  even  contradiction  ?  If  the  thoughts  of  God 
are  past  finding  out,  may  not  his  ways  also  be  somewhat 
obscure  ?  And  if  so,  would  it  not  be  well  to  allow  such 
high  themes  to  continue  to  hang  up  before  us  as  means  of 
life,  rather  than  of  speculation?  What,  if  we  cannot 


*  That  Dr.  B.  himself  regards  it  in  this  light  is  evident  from  the  close  of  his  dis¬ 
course,  where  he  speaks  of  the  view  he  has  given,  as  a  “  speculative,”  “  philo¬ 
sophical,”  or  “  scholastic”  view,  and  not,  therefore,  to  be  preached. 


THEORY  OF 


36 

make  our  notions  respecting  them  quite  coalesce  ?  What 
if  our  reasonings  fail  at  particular  points,  and  must  give 
way  to  worship  and  wonder?  Will  the  truth  perish  on 
that  account?  Above  all,  will  the  great  fact  of  atone¬ 
ment  fail  to  justify  and  save  the  soul  ?  Nay,  will  it  not 
be  an  infinite  benefit  to  confess  our  ignorance,  and  prostrate 
ourselves  in  adoration  before  the  mystery  ? 

We  must  confess  that  we  are  peculiarly  jealous  of  all 
such  speculative  solutions,  and  especially  of  that  philo¬ 
sophical  eclecticism  which  embraces  the  most  heteroge¬ 
neous  and  even  contradictory  views.  But  it  is  easy  to  see 
the  mote  in  our  brother’s  eye,  when  we  cannot  perceive  the 
beam  that  is  in  our  own.  It  is  one  thing  to  oppose  the 
dogmas  of  others,  another  to  abandon  our  own.  One  bene¬ 
fit,  however,  we  anticipate  from  Dr.  B.’s  discourses,  and 
that  is,  a  distrust  of  all  philosophizing,  and  especially  of 
all  dogmatizing  in  religion ;  but  he  may  depend  upon  it, 
thoughtful  men  will  not  reject  dogmas  in  general,  and  re¬ 
tain  his  in  particular.  Upon  this  subject  Dr.  B.  is  by  no 
means  blind.  He  sees  clearly  enough  that  both  the 
Trinity  and  Incarnation  embrace  the  profoundest  mysteries, 
which  neither  logic  nor  reason  can  solve;  and  every  now 
and  then  he  betrays  a  decided  distrust  of  his  own  solutions. 
u  We  cannot  set  forth,”  he  says,  (p.  204,)  “  as  a  real  and 
proper  equivalent,  any  theoretic  matter  of  ours  concerning 
the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  the  highest 
and  most  moving  tragedy  ever  acted  in  this  mortal  sphere, 
a  tragedy  distinguished  in  the  fact  that  God  is  the  Chief 
Character,  and  the  divine  feeling  moved  in  tragic  earnest — 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


37 


Goodness  Infinite  manifested  through  Sorrow — the  passion 
represented .”  Speaking  of  Christ  as  “  the  identification 
of  the  divine  and  the  human,  the  Word  become  flesh,”  he 
adds,  (p.243,)  “  Unquestionably  the  whole  matter  of  the 
transaction  is  mysterious,  and  will  be.”  Yet  he  adds,  in¬ 
consistently  enough,  “  Unquestionably  the  whole  matter 

is  what  it  expresses.”  (Aye!  but  what  is  that?  for  it  is 

* 

not  so  much  the  expression  we  are  concerned  about,  as  the 
thing  expressed.)  “  And  in  order  to  the  fullest  and  most 
vivid  power  of  the  expression  made,  we  want  no  mock  so¬ 
lutions  interposed”’  (sure  enough!)  “but  we  want  rather 
to  behold  the  Divine  brought  into  our  human  conditions  of 
sorrow  and  pain — to  accept  the  Incarnate  Word  thus,  in 
simplicity,  as  a  brother,  looking  never  beyond  what  ap¬ 
pears.”  “How  does  our  poor  human  understanding  labor 
and  reel,”  he  exclaims,  in  conclusion,  “  before  this  great 
mystery  of  godliness — height,  depth,  length,  breadth, 
greater  all  than  we  can  measure  !  God’s  loftiest  work,  in 
fact,  that  in  which  he  most  transcends  our  human  concep¬ 
tions,  is  the  work  in  which  he  is  engaged  to  save  us. 
Creation  is  a  mystery,  the  universe  is  a  great  deep ;  but, 
O !  the  deepest  deep  in  all  the  abysses  of  God’s  majesty  is 
here — in  the  work  he  does  to  unite  us  to  Himself.”  (p.  274.) 

To  all  this,  Dr.  B.  will  reply  that  his  great  object  has 
been  to  rescue  the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement  from  the  re¬ 
gion  of  dogmatics,  and  place  it  in  that  of  expression  and 

language  to  which  it  naturally  belongs,  and  hence  that 

* 

the  charge  preferred  against  him,  of  speculating  upon  the 

subject  like  other  dogmatizers,  does  not  hold.  But  we 

4 


THEORY  OF 


88 

think  it  does  hold  ;  for  no  man  can  take  the  ground  that 
the  ideas  of  sacrifice,  expiation,  and  atonement,  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  work  of  Christ,  belong  simply  to  the  sphere 
of  language  or  expression,  and  not  to  that  of  fact,  doctrine, 
or  reality,  without  some  speculative  or  philosophical  rea¬ 
soning  touching  the  very  nature  of  that  work.  He  must 
affirm,  somewhat  in  a  positive  or  dogmatic  way,  respecting 
the  death  of  Christ,  its  nature  and  design,  before  he  can 
sustain  such  a  position.  Language  or  expression  may  be 
figurative,  and  in  itself  inadequate  ;  nevertheless,  it  stands 
for  the  reality,  it  expresses  the  reality ;  nay,  more,  it  em¬ 
bodies  the  reality  ;  and  the  instant  a  theologian  says,  the 
language,  form,  or  expression  of  a  fact  means  so  and  so, 
and  for  such  and  such  reasons,  he  indulges  himself  in 
some  kind  of  speculation,  false  or  true,  as  the  case  may  be. 
This  very  position  of  Dr.  B.’s,  that  the  ideas  of  sacrifice, 
substitution,  expiation,  and  atonement,  belong  to  the  sphere 
of  language  or  expression,  is,  like  that  on  the  Trinity,  one 
of  the  boldest  speculations  of  the  times.  It  is  based  on 
the  idea  that  the  atonement  is  wholly  subjective,  or  if  ob¬ 
jective  at  all,  is  objective  only  as  a  matter  of  form.  The 
fact  is,  Dr.  B.  denies  the  substitutionary  character  of  our 
Saviour’s  sufferings,  and  gives  his  reasons  for  such  denial ; 
and  if  that  be  not  a  dogma  or  speculation,  we  know  not 
what  is.  But  suppose,  after  all,  it  should  turn  out  to  be  the 
true  view  ;  what  then  ?  Why,  nothing  ;  all  we  ask  is,  let  it 
be  fairly  and  honestly  shown  to  be  the  true  view.  That,  re¬ 
plies  Dr.  B.,  is  what  I  have  done.  V ery  good  ;  but  on 
what  grounds  ?  The  nature  of  the  case  and  the  reason 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


39 


of  things  ;  in  other  words,  by  an  appeal  to  our  moral  in¬ 
stincts  and  to  common  sense.  So,  then,  you  have  been 
doing  just  what  all  theologizers  claim  to  do,  and  you  must 
take  your  chance  with  the  rest.  The  question  yet  re¬ 
mains,  what  do  the  terms  sacrifice,  propitiation,  atone¬ 
ment,  express,  in  reference  to  the  work  of  Christ  ?  Or,  if 
it  suit  you  better,  what  does  that  work  itself  express  ?  Is 
the  atonement  simply  subjective — that  is,  a  result  produced 
in  the  experience  of  believers  by  the  life  and  death  of  Je¬ 
sus  Christ,  or  is  it  not  also  objective,  that  is,  a  real  expia¬ 
tion  or  sacrifice,  on  the  ground  of  which  God  can  be  just, 
and  yet  justify  him  that  believeth  in  Jesus  ?  You  say  it 
is  objective  or  sacrificial,  as  a  matter  of  form  or  expression, 
but  not  as  a  literal  reality.  It  has  no  relation,  then,  to  the  di¬ 
vine  government,  or  the  principles  of  eternal  justice,  and 
in  no  proper  sense,  forms  a  basis  on  the  ground  on  which 
God  can  offer  pardon  to  the  guilty.  Hence  the  words 
sacrifice,  offering,  ransom,  propitiation,  atonement,  derived 
from  ancient  rites  and  usages,  are  figures  of  speech,  the 
ordinary  import  of  which  evaporates  the  instant  a  man  un¬ 
derstands  the  philosophical,  speculative  or  subjective  view 
of  your  system  of  theology ! 

Of  course  we  know  perfectly  well  that  Dr.  B.  admits 
the  literality  of  the  events  which  form  the  basis  or  means 
of  the  Atonement,  that  is,  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
Christ ;  for  he  maintains  very  positively,  that  u  the  life  and 
death  of  Christ  become  most  thoroughly  real,  most  truly 
powerful,  only  when  they  are  offered  in  this  objective 
form nay,  that  in  this  respect  “  he  is  a  more  real  sacri- 


40 


THEORY  OF 


fice  than  the  sacrifice,  a  more  real  lamb  than  the  lamb3’ 
of  the  ancient  dispensation.  But  observe,  while  he  admits 
the  literalitj  of  the  death  of  Christ,  as  a  simple  event,  he 
makes  the  sacrificial  or  expiatory  character  of  that  event 
a  mere  form,  projected  by  the  mind,  a  mere  ideal,  so  to 
speak,  of  the  all-embracing  imagination.  The  form,  in¬ 
deed,  was  prepared  of  old,  but  the  mind  takes  that  form, 
and  throws  it  around  the  tragic  events  of  our  Saviour’s 
career,  and  thus  transforms  them,  by  association  of  ideas, 
into  a  sacrifice  or  atonement  proper.  Thus  his  dogma,  or 
opinion  is,  that  Jesus  Christ,  or  the  atonement  of  Jesus 
Christ,  is  subjectively  u  a  truth  and  a  power”  for  the 
renovation  of  character,  but  not  objectively  a  propitiatory 
sacrifice  for  the  expiation  of  guilt.  . 

But  after  all,  even  if  we  concede  to  Dr.  B.  that  the  im¬ 
port  of  the  Atonement  lies  in  the  expression  or  form,  it 
would  yet  remain  for  inquiry  what  that  expression  or  form 
really  signifies.  Does  it  signify  the  substitution  of  the 
innocent  for  the  guilty^ ;  or  does  it,  in  any  proper  sense, 
signify  the  offering  of  a  sacrifice  to  justice,  or,  if  you 
please,  to  love  and  justice  combined,  for  the  redemption  of 
the  world?  Were  the  sufferings  of  Christ  merely  inci¬ 
dental,  or  were  they  vicarious?  Was  the  agony  of  the 
garden  or  of  the  cross  a  common  agony,  the  agony,  for 
example,  of  a  martyr  ?  Or  was  there  something  myste¬ 
rious  here,  something  pertaining  to  the  nature  of  a  sacri¬ 
fice  ?  We  do  not,  of  course,  inquire  whether  the  sacrifice 
was  literal  or  physical,  in  the  same  sense  that  the  ancient 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


4i 


sacrifices  were  literal  or  physical ;  this  no  one  affirms 
any  more  than  Dr.  B. ;  but  the  question  is,  was  it  a  proper 
sacrifice — was  it,  in  any  true  sense  of  the  terms,  an  expia¬ 
tion  or  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  such  as  the 
universal  instincts  of  mankind  demand,  and  such  as  all 
ancient  sacrifices  seem  to  portend  ?  No,  says  Dr.  B.,  if 
we  understand  him  aright,  for  there  was  no  altar,  no  priest, 
no  victim.  The  death  of  Christ  was  a  simple  incident  which 
occurred  to  him  in  the  prosecution  of  his  great  work — the  res¬ 
toration  of  man  to  the  lost  image  of  God ;  nay,  in  one  sense 
it  was  “  a  mere  murder”  by  wicked  men,  without  the  form 
or  import  of  a  sacrifice,  except  in  this,  that  it  proved  the 
love  and  benevolence  of  him  who  would  not  turn  aside 
from  his  great  work,  even  if  death  stood  in  the  way.  But 
that  it  had  any  effect  in  procuring  pardon,  except  by  pro¬ 
ducing  penitence,  or  that  it  had  any  bearing,  in  the  way 
of  reparation  and  atonement,  upon  the  Divine  government 
or  administration,  is  inconsistent  with  common  sense  and 
tho,  moral  instincts  of  our  nature.  This  is  the  opinion  or 
dogma  of  Dr  B. — in  fact  the  leading  doctrine  and  specula¬ 
tion  of  his  entire  discourse ;  and  it  was  to  bring  the  ideas 
of  sacrifice,  atonement,  expiation,  and  so  forth,  into  har¬ 
mony  with  this  view,  that  he  projected  his  theory  of  lan¬ 
guage  or  expression ;  so  that  while  rejecting  the  old  sacri¬ 
ficial  and  expiatory  view  of  Christ’s  death,  he  might  yet 
seem  to  retain  it,  and  thus  be  heterodox  and  orthodox  at 
the  same  time. 

But  in  opposition  to  this,  we  maintain  that  while  not  a 

literal  or  physical  sacrifice,  in  the  sense  attached  to  these 

4* 


■» 


42 


THEORY  OF 


expressions  by  Dr.  B.,  Jesus  Christ  was  a  true  and  proper 
sacrifice,  and  his  death  a  true  and  proper  expiation  for  the 
sins  of  the  world.  Here  are  both  the  priest  and  the  vic¬ 
tim,  the  altar  and  the  offering-.  For  while,  in  its  outward 
and  historical  aspect,  the  death  of  Christ  was  a  grievous 
outrage,  a  terrible  crime,  in  its  interior  and  spiritual  aspect, 
it  was  an  august  sacrifice,  an  all-sufficient  Atonement  for 
the  redemption  of  the  world.  “  For  such  an  High  Priest 
became  us,”  says  St.  Paul,  “  who  is  holy,  harmless,  unde¬ 
filed,  separate  from  sinners,  and  made  higher  than  the 
heavens  ;  who  needeth  not  daily,  as  those  high  priests,  to 
offer  up  sacrifice,  first  for  his  own  sins,  and  then  for  the 
people’s  :  for  this  he  did  once  when  he  offered  up  himself.  *  * 
For  if  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  and  the  ashes  of  an 
heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctifieth  to  the  purifying  of 
the  flesh,  how  much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who 
through  the  eternal  Spirit  offered  himself  without  spot  to 
God,  purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the 
living  God?” — Heb.  vu.  26,  27;  ix.  13,  14. 

3.  Another  fact  worth  noting  is,  that  Dr.  B.  acknowl¬ 
edges  that  the  common  theological  or  orthodox  view  of 
the  atonement,  namely,  that  it  was  a  proper  sacrifice  or  ex¬ 
piation  for  sin,  the  substitution  of  the  innocent  for  the 
guilty,  has,  in  all  ages,  engaged  the  affections  of  the 
pious,  and  exerted  over  them  a  transforming,  life-giving 
influence.  So,  (p.  203)  he  says,  making  an  admission 
which  is  fatal  to  his  whole  theory,  u  if  the  older  and 
more  venerable  doctrine  is  repugnant,  when  speculatively 
regarded,  to  the  most  sacred  instincts  or  sentiments  of  our 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


43 


moral  nature,  and  dissolves  itself  at  the  first  approach  of 
rational  inquiry,  is  it  nothing  remarkable,  is  it  not  even 
more  remarkable,  that  it  should  have  supported  the  spirit 
of  so  many  believers  and  martyrs,  in  so  many  trials  and 
deaths,  continued  through  so  many  centuries?  Refuted 
again  and  again,  cast  away,  trampled  upon  by  irreverent 
mockeries,  it  has  never  yet  been  able  to  die — -wherefore,  un¬ 
less  there  be  some  power  of  divine  life  in  it  ?”  True  to 
the  letter;  and  Dr.  B.  is  never  so  eloquent  as  when 
making  such  admissions.  Trampled  upon,  and  apparently 
refuted  again  and  again,  and  by  himself  among  the  rest, 
it  is  vital,  and  can  never  perish.  It  meets  the  wants  of 
the  sin-burdened  spirit,  and  that  will  keep  it  fresh  and 
vigorous  till  the  end  of  time.  Besides,  it  is  plainly  taught 
in  the  Scriptures,  as  Dr.  B.  over  and  over  again  admits. 
“I  observe,”  says  he,  (p.  245,)  “in  the  Scriptures,  a  large 
class  of  representations,  such  as  speak  of  the  atonement 
received,  (achieved?)  by  Christ,  his  sacrifice ,  his  offering, 
his  bearing  the  sins  of  many ,  the  holiest  opened  by  his 
blood,  the  curse  he  became,  the  wrath  he  suffered,  the  right¬ 
eousness  he  provided,  which  do  not  seem  to  have  their  natu¬ 
ral  proper  place  in  the  view  here  presented.”  (Dr.  B.’s  sub¬ 
jective  view  of  the  Atonement.)  “  I  recollect,  also,  that 
around  these  terms  of  grace,  the  whole  church  of  God, 
with  but  a  few  limited  exceptions,  have  hung  their  ten- 
derest  emotions,  and  shed  their  freest  tears  of  repentance ; 
that  by  these  the  righteous  good,  the  saints  and  martyrs 
of  the  past  ages  have  supported  the  trial  of  their  faith  ; 
that  before  these  they  have  stood,  as  their  altar  of  peace, 


44 


THEORY  OF 


and  sung  their  hymn  of  praise  to  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain.” 

It  is  bold,  it  is  even  generous  in  Dr.  R.  thus  frankly  to 
admit,  in  the  main,  the  practical  power  of  the  common  or¬ 
thodox  view  of  the  Atonement ;  even  if  he  himself  re¬ 
solves  it  into  a  mere  objective  or  liturgical  form.  He 
claims,  indeed,  that  he  has  found  a  place  for  it  in  his  sub¬ 
jective  view.  It  belongs,  he  says,  to  the  form  of  concep¬ 
tion  ;  in  other  words,  to  the  imagination  of  the  believer, 
transferring  his  own  conceptions  to  the  death  and  suffer¬ 
ings  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  thus  making  the  reality  within 
him,  a  reality  without  him.  It  dissolves  at  the  touch  of 
reason,  but  springs  up  again,  at  the  touch  of  imagination ! 
As  a  fact  or  a  doctrine  it  is  null,  as  a  figure  or  a  form  it  is 
all  in  all!  Or,  to  develop  Dr.  BJs  idea  a  little  further,  it 
belongs  not  to  the*  sphere  of  theology,  as  a  system  or 
speculation,  but  to  the  sphere  of  esthetics  and  language. 
It  is  rather  the  rhetoric  than  the  reality  of  the  Gospel — 
the  garb  and  form  of  faith,  rather  than  its  substance 
and  soul!  Hence  he  shows,  in  his  introduction,  (p.  103) 
that  the  rites  and  shadows  of  the  Old  Testament  dispensa¬ 
tion  were  intended  u  to  prepare  a  language  or  a  form,”  in 
which  to  embody  the  truths  of  Christianity ;  and  therefore 
all  those  terms,  sacrifice ,  offering ,  blood ,  expiation ,  propitia¬ 
tion ,  and  atonement ,  belong  not  so  much  to  the  substance 
as  to  the  form  and  vehicle  of  Christianity. 

On  this  ground  the  types  and  “  shadows  of  good  things 
to  come,”  remain  shadows  even  after  their  fulfillment  in 
Christ !  They  linger  around  the  fact  or  substance  which 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


45 


they  prefigured ;  nay,  more,  impress  upon  it  their  own  liturgi¬ 
cal  image !  The  night,  or  perhaps  we  ought  to  say,  the 
shadowy  twilight,  passes  into  the  day,  and  hangs  around  it 
something  of  its  own  sombre  drapery !  The  death  of 
Christ  is  no  sacrificial  atonement,  in  itself  considered,  but 
it  takes  this  character  as  a  matter  of  form  ;  so  that  the 
atonement  and  the  form  of  the  atonement  are  two  different 
things,  which  must  be  duly  distinguished !  In  a  word,  we 
are  taken  behind  the  scenes,  and  made  to  discover  that 
what  we  had  clung  to  as  a  fact,  is  but  the  shadow  of  a 
fact !  * 

That  the  soul,  oppressed  and  sorrowful  by  reason  of 
guilt,  demands  an  atonement,  has  been  universally  con¬ 
ceded.  The  idea,  in  fact,  is  written  in  the  whole  history 
of  the  man.  Everywhere  blood  flows  for  sin.  Every¬ 
where  conscience,  sin- stricken,  cries  for  a  reparation,  and 
attempts  to  offer  it.  This,  indeed,  is  the  main  fact  of  the 
Jewish  ritual.  The  whole  system  of  the  Mosaic  faith 
turns  upon  the  principle  stated  by  St.  Paul,  that  “  with¬ 
out  the  shedding  of  blood,  there  is  no  remission.”  Sin 
must  be  “  condemned”  somehow.  Suffering,  agony,  death, 
must  expiate  the  dreadful  evil.  u  Think  intently,”  says 
the  profound  and  penetrating  Foster,  expressing  his  own 
resistless  conviction  upon  the  subject,  “  Think  intently  on 
the  malignant  nature  of  sin  ;  and  if  there  be  truth  in  God, 
it  is  inexpressibly  odious  to  him.  Then  if,  nevertheless, 
such  sinners  are  to  be  pardoned,  does  it  not  eminently 
comport  with  the  Divine  holiness,  is  it  not  due  to  it,  that 
in  the  very  medium  of  their  pardon,  there  should  be  some 


46 


THEORY  OF 


signal  and  awful  act  of  a  judicial  and  penal  kind,  to  re¬ 
cord  and  render  memorable  forever  a  righteous  God’s 
judgment — estimate  of  that  which  he  pardons  ?”  In  a 
word,  the  whole  heart  of  humanity  yearns  for  an  expia¬ 
tion.  But  how  does  Dr.  B.  account  for  this  fact  ?  By  re¬ 
plying  that  the  soul  of  man,  the  soul  even  of  the  philosopher, 
demands  an  “  Altar  Form !”  The  u  philosophic  or  subjective 
view,”  says  he,  (p.  271,)  u  must  never  exclude  and  displace 
the  sacrificial  and  ritual  view;  for  even  the  Christian  philoso¬ 
pher  himself  will  need  often  to  go  back  to  this  holy  altar 
of  feeling ,  and  hang  there  trusting  in  Christ’s  offering.” 
An  Altar  Form  !  It  sounds  jejune  enough,  to  say  the 
least  of  it.  And  as  to  the  idea  of  first  philosophizing 
away  the  fact  of  sacrifice  or  atonement,  and  then  going 
back  to  hang  upon  the  Form ,  seems  to  us  even  ridiculous  ! 
Ah  me !  we  want  more  than  a  form  upon  which  to  hang 
the  weary  spirit,  wounded  by  sin.  The  heart,  bleeding 
under  a  sense  of  guilt,  refuses  to  be  comforted,  till  it  hang 
its  hopes  upon  Christ  himself,  the  great  atoning  sacrifice 
for  the  sins  of  the  world.  That  brings  peace — perfect  and 
eternal ;  and  not  only  peace,  but  holiness  and  everlasting 
love.  “  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin.” 

4.  It  is  unfortunate  that  Dr.  B.  has  made  such  singular 
use  of  the  philosophical  terms,  introduced  into  use  by  the 
German  transcendentalists,  subjective  and  objective ,  and  es¬ 
pecially  that  he  should  have  played,  perhaps  inconsciously 
to  himself,  with  the  variant  meanings  of  the  latter  term. 
It  tends  greatly  to  perplex  his  arguments,  and  must,  neces¬ 
sarily,  puzzle  the  minds  of  persons  not  conversant  with 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


47 


nice  distinctions  in  language  and  metaphysics.  The  word 
subjective ,  as  any  one  sees,  has  reference  to  a  subject ,  and 
describes  any  thing,  whether  real  or  imaginary,  as  existing 
passively  or  subjectively,  in  the  mind, — all,  for  example, 
pertaining  to  thought,  feeling,  form,  and  so  forth,  mirrored 
in  the  individual  consciousness.  The  word  objective  has 
reference  to  an  object ,  and  describes  any  thing  existing  by 
itself,  irrespective  of  the  mind  of  the  individual  or  subject, 
not  simply  as  a  matter,  of  form  created  or  recognized  by 
the  mind,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  or  palpable  reality.  For 
example,  the  conception  of  a  tree,  in  my  mind,  is  subjective , 
subjective,  I  mean,  as  a  conception.  It  thus  exists,  as  in  a 
mirror,  in  the  individual  consciousness.  But  corresponding 
to  this,  it  exists  also  as  an  object,  separate  from  the  mind, 
or,  as  the  Germans  say,  has  a  separate  objective  reality. 
Thus  the  subject  is  the  being  thinking — the  object ,  the 
being  or  thing  thought  of.  But  many  of  the  German 
transcendentalists  or  spiritualists,  as  they  call  themselves, 
believe  there  is  no  real  distinction  between  subject  and  object, 
the  Me  and  the  not  Me,  in  other  words,  between  spirit  and 
form,  soul  and  body,  and  thus  run  into  a  species  of  pantheism. 
The  objective,  in  their  view,  is  but  the  reflection  or  shadow 
of  the  subjective.  God  and  the  universe,  nature  and  the 
soul,  are  one.  In  this  way,  has  arisen  among  them  a  pe¬ 
culiar  use  of  the  term  objective,  as  distinguishing  the  form 
of  a  thought,  a  feeling,  or  an  idea,  from  the  thought,  feel¬ 
ing,  or  idea  itself,  but  having  no  real,  palpable,  independent 
existence  after  all.  In  other  words,  they  apply  the  term 


48 


THEORY  OF 


objective  to  the  forms  or  images  projected  or  originated  by 
the  force  of  the  all-embracing  mind. 

Now,  it  is  in  the  latter  sense  that  Dr.  B.  occasionally 
uses  the  word  objective.  Sometimes,  indeed,  he  seems  to 
mean  by  it  the  reality  of  Christ’s  death,  or  the  reality  of 
the  atonement,  as  a  matter  of  fact ;  but  most  frequently 
he  means  by  it,  the  form  of  that  fact,  the  u  ritual,”  u  sacri¬ 
ficial,”  u  altar  form,”  as  he  names  it,  projected  by  the  mind 
of  the  Christian.  As  a  fact,  the  death  of  Christ  is  real, 
but  as  an  atonement  or  propitiatory,  a  form.  This  he  styles 
his  objective  view  of  the  atonement.  The  form,  indeed, 
according  to  Dr.  B.,  is  first  prepared  for  the  mind,  by  the 
ritual  usages  of  the  old  dispensation,  but  it  never  becomes 
a  fact ,  except  in  the  mind  of  the  individual,  or  of  the 
church.  We  must  have  our  Altar  Form  in  which  to  invest 
the  death  of  Christ,  and  thus  represent  it,  esthetically  or 
imaginatively,  before  our  mind’s  eye.  So  that  the  death  of 
Christ  is  sacrificial  or  expiatory,  not  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
but  as  a  matter  of  form ;  not  as  an  objective  reality,  but  as 
a  subjective  ritual. 

In  this  way,  it  is  perfectly  clear  -to  our  minds  that  Dr. 
B.’s  subjective  and  objective  atonements  are  one  and  the 
same  thing.  The  means  are  confounded  with  the  end,  the 
substance  with  the  shadow,  the  thing  with  the  result. 
The  subjective ,  which  exists  in  the  mind  or  experience  of  the 
individual,  projects  the  objective ,  gives  it  reality  and  force ; 
in  other  words,  by  association  of  ideas ,  we  ascribe  to  Christ 
the  result  which  takes  place  in  our  own  experience.  At- 
one-ment  becomes  atonement, — reconciliation  becomes  sac- 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


49 


rifice.  As  we  are  brought  into  one  with  God,  by  means  of 
the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  we  say,  by  a  figure 
ofi  speech ,  borrowed  from  the  ritual  of  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation,  Christ  is  our  atonement,  our  sacrifice,  and 
expiation.  The  atonement  proper,  in  distinction  from  the 
at-one-ment,  is  a  mere  ritual  apparatus  ;  or,  to  take  Dr.  B.’s 
favorite  and  poetical  expression,  a  mere  ‘Altar  Form’  for  the 
soul’s  beliefs  and  emotions  in  reference  to  Christ. 

Thus,  Dr.  B.’s  roundabout  and  elaborate  method  of  reach¬ 
ing  this  simple  conclusion  is,  after  all,  equivalent  to  the 
shorter  cut  of  the  Unitarian,  who  says,  the  whole  matter 
is  figurative  and  hyperbolical ;  and,  consequently,  the 
main  thing,  nay,  the  only  thing  real  and  practical  here,  is 
at-one-ment  or  reconciliation,  produced  in  us,  not  by  any 
sacrifice  or  atonement  proper,  but  by  the  life  and  teachings 
of  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Messenger  of  God. 

5.  But  we  must  be  permitted  to  remark  further,  that  Dr. 
B.’s  view  of  the  atonement  saves  us  from  no  difficulties, 
logical,  theological,  or  moral.  It  is  as  much  exposed  to 
speculative  objections  as  the  old  orthodox  view  ;  indeed,  it  is 
vastly  more  so.  For,  while  the  old  view  supposes  only  one 
grand  difficulty  or  mystery,  namely,  the  substitution  of  the 
innocent  for  the  guilty,  under  the  perfect  administration  of 
God,  Dr.  B.’s  view,  while  seeming  to  relieve  us  from  this 
difficulty,  actually  involves  it,  and  many  other  difficulties 
besides.  For  upon  his  system,  God  becomes  man  ;  the  Di¬ 
vine  not  only  unites  himself  with  the  human,  but  becomes 
“identical”  (Dr.  B.’s  own  expression)  with  the  human. 

The  u  curse  of  the  law  ”  yet  comes  upon  him ;  if  not  as  a 

5 


50 


THEORY  OP 


matter  of  justice,  at  least  of  accident.  The  shame,  the 
horror  and  agony,  yet  fall  upon  his  soul,  in  their  most  mys¬ 
terious  and  appalling  forms.  Sin  is  yet  “  condemned  ”  in 
the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  God.  He  yet  passes  through  the 
ineffable  anguish  of  the  garden  and  of  the  cross.  Supreme 
and  eternal,  the  Sovereign  of  the  seraphim,  God  manifest 
in  the  flesh,  he  yet  submits  to  the  Law,  and  yields  it  obe¬ 
dience  even  unto  death!  If  he  does  not  endure  the  “pen¬ 
alty  of  sin,”  he  endures  that  which  is  its  necessary 
effect :  and  it  makes  little  difference,  in  this  mystic  drama, 
in  which,  as  Goethe  says,”  the  divine  depth  of  sorrow 
lies  hid,”  whether  you  call  it  punishment  or  suffering. 
Sinless  and  perfect,  he  yet  voluntarily  submits  to  be  treated 
as  a  sinner,  and  yields  to  death,  in  a  form  the  most  fearful 
and  overwhelming,  “that  through  death  he  might  destroy 
him  that  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  the  devil,  and 
deliver  them,  who  through  fear  of  death,  were  all  their 
life-time  subject  to  bondage.”  The  Infinite,  as  it  were,  be¬ 
comes  the  finite ;  the  changeless  and  impassive,  the  weak, 
the  suffering,  the  dying.  The  Divine  is  here,  Dr.  B.  affirms 
in  the  most  plain  and  unequivocal  terms  ;  for,  in  his  view, 
the  Divine  and  the  human,  in  the  person  of  Christ,  are 
“identical.”  The  Son  of  God  plunges,  of  his  own  free 
will,  into  the  deepest  abyss  of  woe ;  goes  down,  to  use  the 
language  of  Dr,  B.  himself,  “  below  our  malignity,  that  it 
may  break  itself  against  his  Divine  Patience,”  and  all  to 
rescue  the  guilty  and  the  lost. 

Absurd,  impossible,  contradictory!  cries  the  philosoph¬ 
ical  sceptic,  or  the  infidel  worldling.  To  which  Dr.  B., 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


51 


like  the  rest  of  us,  has  only  to  reply  that  the  “  folly  of  God 
is  wiser  than  man,  and  the  weakness  of  God,  stronger  than 
man.”  And  when  his  own  spirit  of  doubt  or  unbelief  rises 
up,  can  only  save  himself,  like  the  weakest  of  his  brethren, 
by  prostrating  his  soul  before  the  Cross  of  Christ,  as  an 
adorable  mystery,  transcending  all  the  measures  of  science 
and  reasoning,  and  to  be  understood,  in  its  transforming 
power,  only  by  the  humble  and  contrite  heart. 

That  God  should  become  incarnate,  is  a  wonder  the  most 
transcendent  and  amazing.  But  that  God  incarnate  should 
descend  into  the  abyss  of  our  sin  and  shame,  nay,  should 
go  down  beneath  the  deepest  deep  of  our  malignity  and 
wretchedness,  to  magnify  his  own  law,  vindicate  his  own 
justice  and  grace,  and,  above  all,  to  rescue  rebels  from 
eternal  death,  is  a  wonder,  if  possible,  yet  more  transcend¬ 
ent  and  amazing.  If  he  did  not  endure  penal  distribu¬ 
tions,”  he  did  what  was  equivalent  to  it ;  at  least,  he  did 
what  was  equally  mysterious,  equally  wonderful.  And, 
perhaps,  this  is  all  that  we  can,  or  ought  to  say  of  it. .  God 
grant  that,  at  least,  we  may  feel  what  can  never  be  spoken, 
what,  perhaps,  can  never  be  adequately  understood  even  in 
eternity. 

6.  Finally,  while  Dr.  B.,  in  the  outset,  seems  to  reject 
the  common  orthodox  view  of  the  atonement,  in  the  sub¬ 
sequent  portions  of  his  discourse,  he  makes  the  most  des¬ 
perate  efforts  to  reclaim  it.  Indeed,  he  seems  to  be  reject¬ 
ing  and  reclaiming  it  all  the  while;  as  if,  somehow,  he 
could  not  abandon  it ;  and  yef,  like  a  dear  child  that  a 
mother  must  either  give  up,  or  from  her  poverty,  fail  to 


52 


THEORY  OF 


nourish,  he  does  not  know  what  to  make  of  it.  At  last, 
he  seems  to  find  a  place  for  it,  as  we  have  seen,  in  his 
double  subjective — objective  view;  and,  after  distrusting  that 
also,  he  takes  it  once  more  to  his  heart,  casting  away  his 
“  philosophical,”  “  speculative,”  “  subjective”  theory,  as  unfit 
for  practical  life,  and  rejoicing  in  the  atonement  as  an  “  Al¬ 
tar  Form”  for  his  weary  spirit!  “If  the  soul,  then,  “he 
says,  “  is  ever  to  get  her  health  in  freedom  and  goodness, 
she  must  have  the  Gospel,  not  as  a  doctrine  only,  but  as  a 
rite  before  her,  a  righteousness,  a  ransom,  a  sacrifice,  a 
lamb  slain,  a  blood  offered  for  her  cleansing  before  Jeho¬ 
vah’s  altar.  Then  reclining  her  broken  heart  on  this,” 
(on  Christ,  we  hope  he  means,  not  on  the  imaginary  form,) 
“  calling  it  her  religion — hers  by  faith — she  receives  a  grace 
broader  than  consciousness,  loses  herself  in  a  love  that  is 
not  imparted  in  the  modes  of  mere  self-culture,  and,  with¬ 
out  making  folly  of  Christ  by  her  own  vain  self-applica¬ 
tions,  he  is  made  unto  her ,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifi¬ 
cation  and  redemption !” 

We  have  now  finished  our  general  observations  upon 
this  discourse,  and  are  prepared  to  look  at  its  more  inte¬ 
rior  and  specific  argument  on  the  subject  of  the  atonement. 

After  stating,  in  a  brief  and  general  way,  his  view  touch¬ 
ing  the  great  end  for  which  Christ  came  into  the  world, 
namely,  “  to  renovate  character,  to  quicken  by  the  infusion 
of  the  Divine  life in  other  words,  “  to  be  a  Saviour,  as 
saving  his  people  from  their  sins,”  which  Dr.  B.  calls  his 
subjective  view  of  the  atonement,  he  intimates  that  there 
is  a  view  wholly  different  from  this,  “  an  objective  ritual- 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


53 


istic  view,  one  that  sets  him  forth  to  faith,  instead  of  phi¬ 
losophy,  without  which,  as  an  Altar  Form  for  the  soul, 
Christ  could  not  be  the  power  intended,  or  work  the  ends 
appointed.”  These  points  he  lays  down  for  discussion,  but 
previously,  he  proposes  “to  look  at  some  of  the  opinions 
that  have  been  held  and  advanced  at  different  times,  con¬ 
cerning1  the  nature  of  the  atonement.”  Under  this  head 
it  would  be  supposed  that  Dr.  B.  would  endeavor  to  give  a 
fair  and  candid  view  of  what  may  be  termed  the  general 
belief  of  the  Church,  or,  what  is  considered  the  scriptural, 
evangelical  doctrine  of  the  atonement.  So  far  from  this, 
he  offers  one  of  the  most  meagre,  one-sided  statements 
which  we  have  ever  seen,  at  least  in  the  pages  of  one 
claiming  to  have  the  slightest  respect  for  evangelical  reli¬ 
gion,  and  that  not  so  much  respecting  the  prevalent  ortho¬ 
dox  belief,  as  the  various  speculations  which  have  been  in¬ 
dulged  respecting  it,  or  the  illustrations  used  to  explain 
and  enforce  it.  He  mentions,  for  example,  the  apocryphal 
opinion  of  Irenaeus,  for  which  he  gives  no  authority,  and 
which  we  do  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  a  misrepresentation, 
that  Jesus  Christ  u  suffered  death  as  a  ransom  paid  to  the 
devil,  to  buy  us  off  from  the  claims  he  had  upon  us.” 
Now  such  a  notion  is  at  utter  variance  with  the  spirit  and 
purport  of  the  writings  of  Irenseus,  which  are  remarkably 
unspeculative,  sober,  and  dignified,  conforming,  with  slight 
exceptions,  in  a  striking  manner,  to  the  simple  teachings 
of  the  Holy  Scripture.* 


*  Since  writing  the  above,  we  have  taken  some  pains  to  ascertain  the  real  opin¬ 
ions  of  Irenseus,  by  a  personal  examination  of  his  writings  ;  and  we  do  not  hes* 

5* 


54 


T- HEpllY  U  F 


Dr.  B.  also  refers  to  what  he  terms  “  the  truly  horrible 
doctrine  of  Calvin,”  that  “  Jesus  Christ  descended  into  hell,” 


hate  to  affirm  that  he  nowhere  teaches  the  gross  absurdity  ascribed  to  him  by 
Dr.  B.  He  everywhere  represents  the  advent  of  Christ  as  a  means  of  destroying 
the  works  of  the  devil,  “  overturning  Satan” — “  overcoming  the  devil,”  and,  in  one 
place,  “  destroying  (destruens  nostrum  adversarium)  our  adversary,  the  devil.” 
He  figuratively  speaks  of  Jesus  Christ  as  God  incarnate,  “  who  redeemed  us  by  his 
blood,”  who  gave  himself  a  ransom  “  for  the  captives,”  and  rescued  us  “from  the 
dominion  of  Satan,”  not  by  “  force,”  but  by  “justice,”  speaking  of  this  subject  in 
a  most  edifying  and  scriptural  manner. 

In  justice,  however,  to  Dr.  B.,  to  whose  charge  we  are  unwilling  to  lay  more 
than  is  necessary,  it  ought  to  be  stated  here  that  he  was  probably  led  astray,  with 
reference  to  the  opinions  of  IrenEeus,  by  Muenscher,  a  German  writer  on  “  Dog¬ 
matics,”  translated  some  years  ago  by  Dr.  Murdock.  But  the  passages  relied  upon 
by  Muenscher  to  sustain  his  affirmation,  though  slightly  ambiguous,  contain  no 
such  idea.  Nay,  they  seem  to  us  to  teach  the  very  reverse.  Whether  he  had 
personally  examined  these  passages  we  know  not ;  for,  in  the  translation  at  least, 
nothing  but  the  references  are  given.  The  principal  of  these  occurs  in  Adver : 
Hceres :  Lib.  V.  Cap.  1. — Irenaeus  here  teaches,  in  opposition  to  the  Valentinians 
and  Ebionites,  that.  Jesus  Christ,  God  incarnate  can  alone  instruct  us  in  divine 
things,  and  redeem  us  from  the  power  of  sin.  He  shows,  therefore,  that  the  Di¬ 
vine  Word,  “perfect  in  all  things,”  being  not  only  “  almighty,”  but,  also,  “truly 
man,”  (verus  homo)  redeemed  us  by  his  own  blood,  in  other  words,  “  gave  him¬ 
self  a  ransom  for  those  who  were  led  into  captivity”  by  sin,  (redemptionem 
semetipsum  dedit  pro  his  qui  in  captivatatem  ducti  sunt.)  He  then  adds:  “  Et 
quorum  injuste  dominabatur  nobis  Apostasia,”  (he  here  uses  the  abstract  for  the 
concrete,  meaning  by  Apostasia,  or  Apostacy,  Apostatus,  or  the  Apostate,  that  is, 
as  he  explains  it  in  another  place,  Satan  the  great  apostate ,)  “  et  cum  natura  esse- 
mus  Dei  omnipotentis,  alienavit  nos  contra  naturam,  suos  proprios  nos  faciens 
discipulos,  potens  in  omnibus  Dei  Verbum,  et  non  deficiens  in  sua  justitia,  juste 
etiam  adversus  ipsam  conversus  est  apostasiam,  ea  quae  sunt  sua  redimus  ab  ea  (v. 
r.  eo)  non  cum  vi,  quemadmodum  ilia  initio  dominabatur  nostri,  ea  qua?  non  erant 
sua  insatiabiliter  rapiens ;  sed  secundum  suadelam,  quemadmodum  decebat 
Deum  suadentem,  et  non  vim  inferentem,  accipere  quae  vellet,  ut  neque  quod  est 
justum  confringeretur,  neque  antiqua  plasmatio  Dei  depiriret.”  Now,  in  this 
passage,  Irenaeus  simply  teaches  that  Jesus  Christ  redeemed  us  from  the  unjust 
bondage  of  Satan,  or  of  the  great  apostasia,  apostacy,  by  which  men  fell  under  the 
dominion  of  the  evil  principle,  not  by  absolute  force  or  violence ,  but  by  moral 
means ,  thus  vindicating  justice,  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood,  not  as  a  ransom  to 
the  devil,  but  as  a  ransom  to  justice.  The  word  suadela,  used  patristically,  means 
moral  argument  or  influence ,  rather  than  persuasion  or  eloquence,  and  covers  the 
whole  ground  of  what  Christ  did  and  suffered  to  redeem  us  from  the  bondage  of 
sin.  For  Irenams  immediately  adds,  as  if  to  put  the  whole  matter  beyond  a  doubt, 
“  Suo  igitur  sanguine  redimente  nos  Domino,  et  dante  animam  suam  pro  nostra 
anima,  et  carnem  suam  pro  nostris  carnibus,  et  effundente  spiritum,  &c.  In  this 
way,  he  shows  that  man,  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  united  to  God  in¬ 
carnate,  is  restored  to  life  and  immortality ;  not  by  force  or  violence,  but  by  a  di- 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


55 


immediately  after  death  on  the  cross,  and  there  “  endured, 
for  three  days,  the  agonies  of  the  lost,”  as  a  part  of  the 


vine  and  moral  influence,  flowing  to  the  soul  through  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
Jesus  Christ.  So  far,  then,  from  teaching  the  gross  absurdity  ascribed  to  him  by 
Dr.  B..  he  vindicates  the  essential  truth  of  the  Gospel,  that  in  the  very  means  to  res¬ 
cue  man  from  sin,  law  and  justice  are  maintained  and  established.  Satan  is  van¬ 
quished,  not  by  force,  but  by  justice.  His  chains  are  loosened  by  the  blood  of  the 
Son  of  God. 

Another  passage  referred  to  by  Muenscher  occurs,  Adver  :  Hares  ;  Lib.  V. 
Cap .  21  ;  but  so  far  from  proving  his  point,  proves  the  very  reverse  ;  for,  there, 
Christ  is  represented  as  fulfilling  that  ancient  prophecy  that  “  the  seed  of  the  wo¬ 
man  shall  bruise  the  serpent’s  head,”  and  thus  vanquishing  forever  our  spiritual 
adversary.  How  clear  and  pointed,  for  example,  the  following  :  “  Dominus  fac- 
tus  ex  muliere,  et  destruens  adversarium  nostrum,  et  perficiens  hominem  secun¬ 
dum  imaginem  et  similitudinem  Dei.” 

W e  are  happy  to  find  our  views  of  the  teaching  of  Irenajus  confirmed  to  the 
letter,  by  so  competent  an  authority  as  Neander,  who,  speaking  of  a  certain  pecul¬ 
iarity  in  the  mode  of  teaching  respecting  the  redemption  of  Christ,  in  a  Marcion, 
an  Irenceus,  and  an  Origen,  says,  (Church  History,  I.  641.)  “  It  is  this  idea  :  Satan 
hitherto  ruled  mankind,  over  whom  he  had  acquired  a  certain  bight,  because  the 
first  man  fell  under  the  temptation  to  sin,  and  was  thereby  brought  under  servi¬ 
tude  to  the  evil  one.  God  did  not  deprive  him  of  this  right  by  force,  but  caused 
him  to  lose  it  in  a  way  strictly  conformable  to  law.  By  him,  (Christ)  the  repre¬ 
sentative  of  human  nature,  the  latter  has  been  delivered,  on  grounds  of  reason  and 
justice,  from  the  dominion  of  Satan.” 

Thus  Neander  shows,  according  to  this  view,  that  redemption  from  the  power 
of  evil,  is  “  a  legal  process  in  the  history  of  the  world,  corresponding  to  the  requi¬ 
sitions  of  the  moral  order  of  the  universe,”  an  idea  at  once  philosophical  and 
scriptural.  He  then  gives  the  following,  as  a  condensed  expression  of  the  views 
oflrenaeus:  “Only  the  Word  of  the  Father  himself  could  declare  to  us  the  Fa¬ 
ther  ;  and  we  could  not  learn  from  him,  unless  the  teacher  himself  had  appeared 
among  us.  Man  must  become  used  to  receive  God  into  himself,  God  must  become 
used  to  dwell  in  humanity.  The  Mediator,  betwixt  both,  must,  once  more,  re¬ 
store  the  union  between  both,  by  his  relationship  to  both.  In  a  human 

nature  which  was  like  to  that  burdened  with  sin,  he  condemned  sin,  and  then 
banished  it  as  a  thing  condemned  out  of  human  nature,  Rom.  8:3;  but  he  re¬ 
quired  men  to  become  like  him.  Men  were  the  prisoners  of  the  evil  one ,  (the 
italics  are  ours,)  of  Satan;  Christ  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  the  prisoners^ 
Sin  reigned  over  us  who  belonged  to  God ;  God  delivered  us  not  by  force,  but  in  a 
way  of  justice,  inasmuch  as  he  redeemed  those  who  were  his  own.  If  he  had  not , 
as  man,  overcome  the  adversary  of  man ;  if  the  enemy  had  not  been  overcome  in 
the  way  of  justice  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand ,  if  he  had  not  as  God,  bestowed  the  gift 
of  salvation,  we  should  not  have  that  gift  in  a  way  which  is  secure.  And  if  man 
did  not  become  united  with  God ,  he  could  have  no  share  in  an  imperishable  life. 
It  was  through  the  obedience  of  one  man  that  many  must  become  justified. I,  and  ob¬ 
tain  salvation  ;  for  eternal  life  is  the  fruit  of  justice.” 


56 


THEORY  OF 


penalty  of  transgression,  and  quotes  some  American  divine, 
who,  thirty  years  ago,  represented  Christ  as  receiving  the 
stroke  of  vengeance  from  his  Father’s  hand,  and  thus  dying, 
not  “by  consent,”  but  by  “  authority.”* * * § 


*  We  are  sorry  once  more  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  charging  Dr.  B.  with 
misrepresentation.  It  is  not,  however,  to  be  supposed,  from  his  theological  pre¬ 
ferences,  that  he  is  in  the  habit  of  conning,  very  carefully,  the  pages  of  Calvin  ; 
and,  it  was  doubtless  from  recollection,  or  from  hearsay,  that  he  fell  into  the  mis¬ 
take  of  ascribing  to  that  eminent  and  learned  divine  11  the  truly  horrible  doctrine  ” 
that  “  Christ  descended  into  hell,  when  crucified,  and  suffered  the  pains  of  the 
damned  for  three  days.”  (p.  194.)  It  is  not,  indeed,  improbable  that  he  may  have 
relied  too  implicitly  on  Muenscher,  whose  “  Dogmatik  ”  reminds  us  very  much  of 
Bossuet’s  celebrated  “  Variations  of  Protestantism,”  and  is  about  as  fair  a  represent¬ 
ation  of  the  doctrinal  theology  of  the  Church.  Of  late  years,  Calvin  has  been  bet¬ 
ter  appreciated  in  Germany  than  he  was  in  the  days  of  Muenscher,  be  ng  diligently 
studied  and  greatly  admired  by  such  men  as  Tholuck,  Hengstenberg,  and  Ullmann. 
His  views,  indeed,  on  the  subject  of  the  atonement,  are  somewhat  high;  buthe 
certainly  nowhere  falls  into  the  gross  absurdity  of  making  Christ  suffer  the  pangs 
of  the  lost  for  three  days  in  hell.  He  is  commenting  (Institutes,  Book,  II.  C.  XVI,) 
on  that  expression  in  the  Apostle’s  Creed,  so  called,  “  he  descended  into  hell,”  and 
shows  tliat.  this  may  be  regarded  as  figurative,  having  reference  not  to  the  burial 
of  Christ,  but  to  what  preceded  his  burial ;  not  to  a  descent  into  Hades  or  Hell,  but 
to  the  endurance  of  terrible  conflicts  with  the  powers  of  darkness  on  the  cross  ; 
in  a  word,  to  the  profound  and  mysterious  agonies  of  his  “passion.”  As  it  was 
necessary,  according  to  Calvin,  that  Christ  should  suffer  for  us,  the  penalty  of  vio¬ 

lated  law,  he  shows  that  it  behooved  him  “  to  contend  with  the  powers  of  hell,  and 
the  horror  of  eternal  death.”  In  other  words,  he  shows,  by  citations  from  the 
Scriptures,  that  he  suffered  not  only  “  corporeally,  but  spiritually,”  not  in  the 
body  only,  but  in  the  soul ,  that  Ids  pangs  were  peculiar  and  awful,  and  equivalent, 
therefore,  to  the  pangs  of  the  lost,  though  with  this  difference,  as  he  states,  that  he 
could  not  be  “holden  of  the  pains  of  death.”  He  then  positively  denies  what 

some  of  the  old  Catholic  writers  held,  that  Christ  actually  descended  into  hell  af¬ 
ter  the  crucifixion,  and  gives  a  view  of  Christ’s  sufferings  similar  to  that  held  by 
the  old  school  divines.  He  shows,  too,  in  a  very  striking  manner,  (Lib  II,  Cap.  16, 

§  12,)  that,  to  all  this,  Christ  “  was  not  compelled  by  violence  or  necessity,  but  in¬ 
duced  merely  by  his  mercy  and  love  for  us.”  In  a  word,  his  doctrine  is  that  of 
an  expiation  or  satisfaction  made  by  Christ’s  enduring  the  penalty  of  the  law  ; 
and,  hence,  that  the  expression  “  descended  into  hell,”  may  be  regarded  as  a  strong 
and  figurative  mode  of  describing  his  sufferings. 

Calvin  is  by  no  means  infallible.  Some  of  his  ideas  and  expressions  may  be  ex¬ 
travagant  ;  but,  as  a  whole,  he  is  one  of  the  ablest  and  soundest  theologians.  His 
mind  was  at  once  clear  and  penetrating,  and,  what  is  better,  remarkably  reverent 
and  devout.  At  all  events,  he  deserves  fair  and  honorable  treatment  from  us  all. 
“  You  have  caught  me,”  said  the  sceptical  but  able  Bolingbroke  to  Church,”  a  loose 
minister  ot  the  English  Church,  “reading  John  Calvin.  He  was,  indeed,  a  man 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


57 


He  says  that  there  is  a  general  concurrence  in  the  words 
vicarious ,  expiation ,  offering ,  substitute ,  and  the  like,  but  no 
agreement  as  to  the  manner  in  which  they  are  to  get  their 
meaning. 

He  also  refers,  in  the  briefest  and  most  unsatisfactory 
manner,  to  the  opinions  advocated  by  Beman,  Jenkyn,  and 
others,  that  the  atonement  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  govern¬ 
mental  expedient,  securing  equally  the  great  ends  of  justice 
and  mercy,  and  that  its  value  is  to  be  measured,  chiefly,  by 
its  expression, — the  dignity  of  our  Saviour’s  person  giving 
import  and  value  to  his  voluntary  sufferings  in  our  behalf. 
We  have  no  confidence  ourselves,  in  the  superficial  philos¬ 
ophy  upon  which  this  view  is  ordinarily  based,  a  view 
which  seems  to  make  justice  a  temporary  expedient,  and 
not  an  eternal  principle,  and  lowers  our  estimation  of  the 
sufferings  of  Christ  as  little  better  than  those  of  a  martyr; 
but  it  demanded  a  more  respectful  notice,  and  a  more  ex¬ 
tended  examination  at  the  hands  of  Dr.  B. 

“  On  the  whole,”  he  adds,  summing  up  the  matter  in  his 
comprehensive  way,  “  I  know  of  no  definite  and  fixed  point, 
on  which  the  orthodox  view,  so  called,  may  be  said  to  hang, 
unless  it  be  this,  that  Christ  suffers  evil  as  evil,  or  in  direct 
and  simple  substitution  for  evil  that  was  to  be  suffered  by 

of  great  parts,  profound  sense,  and  vast  learning.  He  handles  the  doctrines  of 
grace  in  a  masterly  manner.”  “Doctrines  of  grace!”  exclaimed  Church:  “the 
doctrines  of  grace  have  set  all  mankind  by  the  ears.”  “I  am  surprised,”  replied 
Bolingbroke,  “  to  hear  you  say  so  ;  you,  who  profess  to  believe  and  preach  Chris¬ 
tianity.  These  doctrines  are,  certainly,  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible ;  and,  if  I  be¬ 
lieved  the  Bible,  I  must  believe  them  ;  and,  let  me  tell  you  seriously,  that  the 
greatest  miracle  in  the  world,  is  the  existence  of  Christianity,  and  its  preservation 
as  a  religion,  when  the  preaching  of  it  is  committed  to  the  care  of  such  unchris¬ 
tian  wretches  as  you  are.” 


58 


THEORY  OF 


us ;  so  that  God  accepts  one  evil  in  place  of  the  other,  and 
being  satisfied  in  this  manner,  is  able  to  justify  or  pardon.” 

Now,  will  any  man,  at  all  acquainted  with  theological 
literature,  undertake  to  say  that  such  is  a  fair  and  sober  es¬ 
timate  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Church,  or  of  the  great  body 
of  evangelical  Christians,  on  the  subject  of  the  Atonement, 
the  doctrine  which,  by  his  own  confession,  has  formed  the 
basis  of  hope  and  the  source  of  joy  to  saints  and  martyrs, 
from  the  earliest  period  of  the  Christian  era?  Would  any 
one  maintain  that  such  is  the  view  in  which  Irenseus  and 
Augustine,  Luther,  Zuinglius  and  Melancthon,  Taylor  and 
Hooker,  Baxter  and  Howe,  John  Wesley  and  Robert  Hall 
united  as  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  for  the 
salvation  of  the  world  ? 

In  the  first  place,  we  might  well  inquire  what  is  meant 
by  the  expression  that  Christ  “suffers  evil  for  evil,”  or  that 
“he  suffers”  evil  as  evil?”  Then,  again,  we  might  ask, 
Can  “  evil”  ever  be  suffered  except  as  “  evil  ?”  Nay,  we 
might  still  further  inquire  whether  Dr.  B.  himself,  in  the 
subsequent  parts  of  his  discourse,  does  not  make  Christ,  in¬ 
nocent  and  divine  though  he  be,  suffer  the  most  terrible 
“evil?”  For  our  part,  we  know  of  no  theologian,  of  any 
repute,  who  maintains  that  Christ  suffered  “  evil  as  evil,” 
that  is,  as  we  understand  Dr.  B.,  evil  for  its  own  sake. 
We  know  of  none,  moreover,  who  represents  Christ  as  suf¬ 
fering,  involuntarily ,  either  evil  or  the  results  of  evil.  Cal¬ 
vin  himself  does  not  so  represent  the  case.  That  eminent 
divine  speaks  of  his  agonies,  terrible  as  he  deemed  them,  as 
an  atonement  or  expiation,  voluntarily  endured,  for  the  ben- 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


59 


efit  of  the  world.  If  Christ  endured  “  evil  as  evil,”  then 
he  himself  chose  that  evil,  and  he  alone  is  responsible.  But 
where  is  the  theologian  who  maintains  that  Christ  “  sinned 
for  us  ?”  He  only  suffered  for  our  sins,”  a  fact  which  Dr. 
B.  himself  admits. 

Dr.  B.’s  arguments  may  be  good  against  extreme  views 
of  the  atonement,  or  improper  declamatory  modes  of  repre¬ 
senting  it,  but  they  are  of  no  force  whatever  against  the 
scriptural  fact,  in  which  all  evangelical  Christians  unite, 
that  “  He  who  knew  no  sin  was  made  sin  for  us” — 
that  “the  just  suffered  for  the  unjust” — in  a  word,  that 
Christ  suffered  and  died  “  under  the  curse  of  the  law,”  and 
thus  “  made  an  atonement  for  us.” 

Then,  again,  it  deserves  Dr.  B.’s  attention,  that  a  doc¬ 
trine  or  fact  like  that  of  the  atonement,  is  one  thing,  and 
particular  theories  or  speculations  to  account  for  it,  as  also 
particular  illustrations  to  elucidate  it,  are  quite  another 
thing.  The  orthodox  may  be  agreed  in  the  doctrine,  but 
not  in  their  modes  of  defending  or  explaining  it.  Their 
creed  may  be  good,  but  their  philosophy  may  be  imperfect ; 
or  their  doctrine  may  be  true,  but  their  mode  of  expression 
defective  and  variant.  But  it  would  be  most  unfair  and 
ungenerous  to  take  some  imperfect,  ill-expressed  theory  of 
an  individual,  or  the  infelicitous,  perhaps  erroneous  expla¬ 
nation  of  an  individual,  as  a  type  and  specimen  of  the 
whole.  Dr.  B.  himself  claims  to  be  orthodox,  or  as  good  as 
orthodox,  but  who  would  take  his  objective  altar  theory ,  and 
adduce  that  as  a  fair  specimen  of  the  orthodox  doctrine? 
But  such  a  procedure  would  be  as  fair  as  to  take  the  ex- 


00 


THEORY  OF 


travagant  expression  of  Ireneeus,  supposing  it  to  be  really 
his,  which  it  is  not,)  or  the  extravagant  theory  ascribed  to 
Calvin,  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  ! 

It  would  be  equally  unfair  and  ungenerous  to  take  any 
number  of  such  instances,  and  from  such  narrow  general¬ 
ization,  come  to  the  sweeping  conclusion  that  those  who 
maintain  the  orthodox  view,  agree  in  representing  Jesus 
Christ  as  suffering  u  evil  as  evil,”  or  in  “  direct  and  simple 
substitution  for  evil.” 

As  we  have  intimated,  Dr.  B.  himself  assumes  that  Jesus 
Christ,  with  a  view  to  the  redemption  of  the  lost,  volunta¬ 
rily  suffered  evil ,  and  his  theory  on  this  ground  is  just  as 
difficult  of  explanation  as  any  view  taken  by  the  orthodox. 
If  he  says  no — for  Christ  suffered  evil  on  his  way  to  the 
accomplishment  of  a  great  good — we  reply  that  it  makes 
no  difference ;  for  the  case  he  cites  of  a  man  passing  over 
desolate  rocks,  in  a  snow  storm,  not  for  the  sake  of  the  ex¬ 
posure,  but  to  carry  food  to  a  starving  family,  is  not  analo¬ 
gous  to  the  case  in  hand  !  If  the  man  had  a  choice  of  two 
roads,  or  if  he  had  power  to  make  his  own  road,  without 
the  necessity  of  exposure,  it  would  have  been  analogous^ 
though  only  in  a  single  particular.  For  our  Saviour’s  ob¬ 
ject  was  not  simply  to  bring  us  relief,  but  to  bring  it  in  such 
a  way  as  to  vindicate  eternal  justice,  and  save  the  sinner 
from  the  consequences  of  his  sin.  Possessing  all  power  in 
heaven  and  on  earth,  he  deliberately,  and  on  purpose,  chose 
the  rond  of  suffering.  He  chose  it,  that  thus  both  justice 
and  love  might  be  vindicated,  while  the  rebel  was  redeemed. 
Thus  he  came  into  the  world  to  suffer  and  die.  He  lived 


K 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


61 


for  that  specific  purpose,  made  all  his  arrangements  with  a 
view  to  that  result.  Doubtless  he  had  an  ultimate  end  in 
view ;  but  the  other,  as  a  means,  became  necessary  to  the 
accomplishment  of  that  end ;  so  that  it,  too,  became  an 
end,  equally  necessary  and  equally  important.  Thus  he 
suffered  evil  “  not  as  evil,”  but  as  a  means  to  an  end.  He 
died,  not  “in  direct  and  simple  substitution  of  “evil  for 
evil,”  but  to  vindicate  the  government  of  God,  and  yet  se¬ 
cure  the  salvation  of  the  lost. 

But  we  will  proceed  to  state  what  we  conceive  to  be  the 
orthodox  or  evangelical  belief  upon  this  subject,  and  then 
point  out  the  difference  between  this  and  the  theory  of 
Dr.  B. 

A  subject  of  belief  may  be  stated  as  a  fact — or  as  a  doc¬ 
trine — or  as  a  speculation. 

Touching  the  Atonement  as  a  fact,  the  general  evan¬ 
gelical  belief,  so  far  as  we  understand  it,  is  this,  that  to 
save  men  from  their  sins,  first  to  secure  their  forgiveness, 
and,  secondly,  renovation,  Jesus  Christ,  the  true  God  and 
eternal  Life,  became  incarnate,  that  is,  became  man,  and  in 
that  nature  endured  shame,  agony  and  death,  sometimes 
called  the  “  curse  of  the  law,”  and  is  therefore  “  set  forth” 
as  “a  propitiation,”  or  propitiatory  “sacrifice”  for  the  sins 
of  the  whole  world,”  on  which  ground  “  repentance  and  re¬ 
mission”  have  been  “  proclaimed  unto  all  nations,  beginning 
at  Jerusalem.”  This  is  the  simple  historical  fact,  a  fact 
new,  and  in  a  high  degree  mysterious  and  affecting,  and 
bringing  home  to  our  hearts,  in  a  manner  ttm  most  over* 
whelming,  the  love,  the  justice  and  the  pity  of  God. 


62 


THEORY  OF 


As  a  doctrine,  the  suffering's  and  death  of  Christ  are  a 
proper  expiation  for  sin,  in  some  way,  perhaps  not  wholly 
explained,  satisfying  the  claims  of  justice,  while  securing 
pardon  and  eternal  life  to  the  guilty  penitent.  In  other 
words,  the  atonement  or  sacrifice  of.,  Christ,  involved,  in 
some  important  sense,  the  substitution  of  the  innocent  for  the 
guilty.  W e  deserved  to  die,  but  Christ  “  died  for  us  not 
simply  for  our  benefit,  for  that  is  not  the  meaning  of  the 
expression  here,  but  in  our  stead,  not  suffering  u  evil  as 
evil,”  but  suffering  evil,  to  vindicate  the  love  and  justice  of 
Jehovah  in  the  redemption  of  the  lost.  In  becoming  man 
he  C£  took  on  him”  not  only  our  nature,  but  our  £i  infirmities 
and  sins,”  and  though  innocent  and  even  perfect,  bore  in 
their  most  appalling  forms,  all  the  consequences  of  such  in¬ 
firmities  and  sins — pain — anguish — amazement — horror — 
death — a  strange  mystery  of  love  and  sorrow,  such  as  earth 
saw  never,  such  as  God  only  can  solve.  “  The  just  suf¬ 
fered  for  (in  the  stead  of)  the  unjust” — qhe  sinless  (“  he 
who  knew  no  sin”)  for  the  sinful.  In  other  words,  the  in¬ 
nocent — nay,  more,  the  Divine ,  suffered  under  the  conditions 
of  human  guilt ,  permitted  to  come  upon  him  the  consequen¬ 
ces  of  our  apostasy,  in  order  that  he  might  discover  to  men 
the  amazing,  all  conquering  love  of  God,  and  not  only  so, 
but  vindicate  the  integrity  of  the  law,  the  great  law  of  the 
moral  universe,  which  must  have  its  course ,  and  which  will 
not  spare  even  “  the  immaculate  One,”  assuming  the  nature, 
and  standing  ih  the  place  of  the  guilty;  and  since  by  this 
means,  and  by  this  alone ,  penitent  sinners  are  saved  from 
sin  and  all  the  consequences  of  sin,  his  sufferings  and  death 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


63 


upon  earth  are  literally  and  truly,  instead  of  their  sufferings 
and  death  in  hell. 

In  speaking  of  such  a  doctrine,  orthodox  divines,  of  course, 
use  every  variety  of  language,  the  language  of  Scripture, 
and  the  language  of  common  life.  Sometimes  they  speak 
of  God  u  smiting  the  Shepherd/’  u  delivering  up  his  Son  to 
the  death  for  us  all,”  abandoning  him  in  the  garden  and 
on  the  tree  ;  nay,  as  bringing  upon  him,  by  deliberate  choice, 
all  the  shame,  anguish  and  despair  cf  crucifixion.  But  this 
language,  though  coincident  with  that  of  the  Scripture,  and 
of  Hebrew  phraseology  in  general,  is  neither  precise  nor 
philosophical,  but  general  and  popular.  Sometimes  they  go 
farther,  and  may  even  misrepresent  the  transaction ;  but 
whenever  they  speak  seriously  and  deliberately  regarding 
it,  they  mean  that  God  was  present  in  the  whole  transac¬ 
tion,  and  that  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son  was  equally  the  sac¬ 
rifice  of  the  Father. 

Some  of  them,  nay,  quite  a  number,  speak  of  Christ,  in 
this  transaction,  as  having  endured  the  penalty  of  the  law  ; 
and  certainly  such  language  is  not  stronger  than  that  of 
the  Scripture,  which  represents  him  as  enduring  “  the  curse” 
of  the  law,  as  “made  sin,”  as  “bearing  our  sins,”  bearing 
our  iniquities,  and  so  forth.  Still,  they  evidently  use  the 
word  penalty  in  some  loose  and  popular  sense.  For  if  the 
inquiry  were  made,  do  you  mean  to  affirm  that  Christ  suf¬ 
fered  eternal  death,”  which  is  the  penalty  of  the  law,  or  the 
punitive  result  of  sin,'  and  they  would  instantly  answer,  No. 
But.  if  all  or  any  of  the  consequences  of  sin  are  a  part  of 
its  penalty :  if.  in  a  word,  the  law  is  of  such  a  nature  as  to 


64 


THEORY  OF 


vindicate  itself,  not  by  a  direct  punitive  infliction  from  with¬ 
out,  but  by  a  necessary  action  and  result,  which  is  suffer¬ 
ing*  and  death ;  then  as  Christ  suffered  under  the  conditions 
of  human  guilt,  his  sufferings  and  death  may  be  spoken  of 
as  the  penalty  of  the  law.  There  is  a  sense  in  which  all 
things  whatever  are  done  by  God ;  but  the  perfection 
of  his  laws  are  such  that  they  work  themselves  clear,  that 
is,  by  a  necessary  action  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  re¬ 
warding  the  good  and  punishing  the  bad.  Thus  if  I  vio¬ 
late  the  law  of  gravitation,  I  may  be  thrown  from  a  preci¬ 
pice,  and  the  result  is  temporal  death  ;  so  if  I  violate  the 
law  of  purity  and  of  love  which  binds  me  to  God,  I  fall  from 
God,  and  the  result  is  spiritual  death.  Sin,  not  God,  brought 
death  into  the  world,  and  all  our  woe.  But  tha.t  death  and 
that  woe,  though  not  inflicted  by  an  absolute  intervention 
on  the  part  of  God,  but  by  the  necessary  action  of  law,  may 
yet  be  said  to  come  from  God,  the  great  fountain  of  all  law. 
Thus,  then,  if  Jesus  Christ  suffered  under  the  conditions  of 
human  guilt,  he  did  not  suffer  by  an  absolute  infliction  or 
punishment,  but  from  the  necessary  action  of  the  laws  un¬ 
der  which  he  voluntarily  placed  himself.  The  result — an¬ 
guish,  horror,  death — flow  from  our  sins,  for  which  he  suf¬ 
fered — come  upon  him  by  a  necessary  action.  As  we  said 
before,  the  law  must  have  its  course,  even  if  the  immaculate 
Son  of  God  should  suffer  and  die.  This,  then,  being  the 
result  of  law,  and  law  deriving  all  its  power  and  sanction 
from  the  absolute  God,  it  might  be  appropriately  spoken  of 
as  the  penalty  of  sin.  And  indeed  this  is  no  more  than 
what  the  prophet  means  when  he  says  “the  chastisement 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


65 


(penalty  or  punishment)  of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and 
with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.’* 

But  the  majority  of  theologians  would  say,  that  Christ 
endured  the  penalty  of  the  law  only  in  this  sense,  that  his 
agonies,  whatever  they  were,  came  from  our  sins  ;  not 
that  he  suffered  the  pangs  of  hell,  or  the  horror  of  the 
second  death  ;  but  an  anguish,  which,  considering  the  dig* 
nity  of  his  person,  and  the  tenderness  of  his  heart,  might 
be  taken  as  an  equivalent ;  so  that  all  the  penalty  which 
ever  comes  from  sin,  as  far  as  believers  are  concerned,  was 
visited  upon  him.  '  His  death  upon  the  cross  has  averted 
our  death  in  hell.* 


*  It  is  but  an  act  of  justice  to  give  the  view  of  the  old  school  divines,  so  called, 
upon  this  subject,  in  their  own  carefully  selected  words.  The  following,  from  a 
very  able  review  of  “  Beman  on  the  Atonement,”  in  the  first  series  of  the 
“  Princeton  Theological  Essays,”  is  about  as  fair  and  satisfactory  as  any  thing  we 
have  seen. 

“  A  third  method  by  which  the  Scriptures  teach  us  the  nature  of  the  atonement, 
is  by  express  declarations  concerning  the  nature  of  his  sufferings,  or  the  immedi¬ 
ate  design  of  his  death.  It  is  expressly  taught  that  his  sufferings  were  penal,  that 
he  endured  the  penalty  of  the  law,  and  that  he  thus  suffered,  not  for  himself,  but 
for  us.  This  is  a  point  about  which  there  is  so  much  strange  misconception,  that 
it  is  necessary  to  explain  the  meaning  of  the  terms  here  used.  The  sufferings  of 
rational  beings  are  either  calamities,  having  no  reference  to  sin,  or  chastisement 
designed  for  the  improvement  of  the  sufferer,  or  penal  when  designed  for  the 
satisfaction  of  justice.  Now,  what  is  meant  by  the  language  above  used  is,  that 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  were  not  mere  calamities ;  neither  were  they  chastise¬ 
ments  (in  the  sense  just  stated,)  nor  were  they  simply  exemplary,  nor  merely 
symbolical,  designed  to  teach  this  or  that  truth,  but  that  they  were  penal,  i.  e., 
designed  to  satisfy  divine  justice.  This  is  the  distinctive  character  assigned  to 
them  in  Scripture.  Again :  by  the  penalty  of  the  law  is  meant  that  suffering 
which  the  law  demands  as  a  satisfaction  to  justice.  It  is  not  any  specific  kind 
or  degree  of  suffering,  for  it  varies  both  as  to  degree  and  kind,  in  every  suppos- 
able  case  of  its  infliction.  The  sufferings  of  no  two  men  that  ever  lived,  are 
precisely  alike,  in  this  world  or  the  next,  unless  their  constitution,  temperament, 
sins,  feelings,  and  circumstances  were  precisely  alike,  which  is  absolutely  incred¬ 
ible.  The  objection,  therefore,  started  by  Socinus,  that  Christ  did  not  suffer  the 
penalty  of  the  law,  because  he  did  not  suffer  remorse,  despair,  or  eternal  banish¬ 
ment  from  God,  was  answered,  by  cotemporary  theologians,  by  denying  that 
those  things  entered  essentially  into  the  penalty  of  the  law.  That  penalty  is  in 

6* 


66 


THEORY  Of 


Human  governments  cannot  remit  deserved  penalties. 
They  may  assume  the  right,  but  it  cannot  hold,  except  in 
those  cases  where  such  penalties  are  not  fairly  incurred. 
So  that  penitence — reformation  even — is  of  no  avail :  the 
guilty  must  suffer.  But  it  may  not  be  so  in  the  government  of 
God,  Jehovah,  who  is  himself  law,  may  remit  a  penalty, 
if  he  so  pleases.  Christ  suffered  for  us,  and  in  consequence 
we  repent.  God,  then,  for  Christ’s  sake,  remits  the  penalty 
which  we  had  incurred,  and  which  we  must  have  suffered, 
if  Christ  had  not  died.  But  that  Jesus  Christ  was  pun¬ 
ished  by  an  absolute  infliction,  and  punished  in  the  same 
sense  that  we  should  have  been  punished,  that  is,  “  with 
everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and 
from  the  glory  of  his  power,”  few,  very  few  sober  ortho¬ 
dox  divines  would  maintain. 

Such,  then,  is  the  doctrine — the  substitution  of  the  in¬ 
nocent  for  the  guilty,  and  the  forgiveness,  justification,  and 

Scripture  called  death,  which  includes  every  kind  of  evil  inflicted  by  divine  jus¬ 
tice  in  punishment  of  sin  ;  and  inasmuch  as  Christ  suffered  such  evil,  and  to  such 
a  degree  as  fully  satisfied  divine  mstiee,  he  suffered  what  the  Scriptures  call  the 
penalty  of  the  law.  It  is  not  the  nature,  but  the  relation  of  sufferings  to  the  law, 
which  gives  them  their  distinctive  character.  What  degree  of  suffering  the  law 
demands,  as  it  varies  in  every  specific  case,  God  only  can  determine.  The  suf¬ 
ferings  of  Christ  were  unutterably  great  ;  still,  with  one  voice,  Papists,  Lutherans, 
and  Reformed,  rebutted  the  objection  of  Socinus,  that  the  transient  sufferings  of 
one  man  could  not  be  equivalent  to  the  sufferings  to  the  sins  of  men,  by  referring, 
not  to  the  degree  of  the  Saviour’s  anguish,  as  equal  to  the  misery  due  to  all  for 
whom  he  died,  but  to  the  infinite  dignity  of  his  person.  It  was  the  Lord  of  glory 
who  was  crucified.  As  the  bodily  sufferings  of  a  man  are  referred  to  his  whole 
person,  so  the  Scriptures  refer  the  sufferings  of  Christ’s  human  nature  to  his 
whole  person.  And  he  was  a  divine,  and  not  a  human  person  ;  but  a  divine  per¬ 
son  with  a  human  nature.  This  is  an  awful  subject,  on  which  all  irreverent  spec¬ 
ulation  must  be  very  offensive  to  God.  Let  it  be  enough  to  say  with  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  that  Christ  suffered  the  penalty  of  the  law  in  our  stead,  and  that  the  pen¬ 
alty  of  the  law  was  that  kind  and  amount  of  suffering,  which,  from  such  a  Per¬ 
son,  was  a  full  satisfaction  to  the  divine  justice.” 


T  H  E  A  T  O  N  E  M  ENT. 


6? 


salvation  of  the  guilty,  by  virtue  of  the  expiatory  sacrifice 
and  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ.  Its  effect  upon  us  is,  first,  to 
convince  of  sin,  to  produce  repentance  and  change ;  secondly, 
to  justify  and  redeem,  in  other  words,  to  save  first  from  the 
condemnation,  and  secondly,  from  the  domination  of  sin. 

But  we  have  said,  that  a  subject  of  belief  may  be  re¬ 
garded  as  a  speculation  ;  in  other  words,  as  a  theory  or  phi¬ 
losophy.  And  it  is  just  here  that  the  greatest  variety  of 
opinion  prevails  among  those  who,  in  a  general  sense,  are 
styled  the  orthodox.  Their  modes  of  justifying  the 
Atonement  are  various,  and  perhaps  somewhat  unsatisfac¬ 
tory  ;  just  as  Dr.  B.’s  philosophy  upon  the  subject  is  un¬ 
satisfactory.  “  Sometimes,”  as  Dr.  B.  states,  “  the  anal¬ 
ogy  of  criminal  law  is  taken  ;  and  then  our  sins  are  spoken 
of  as  being  transferred  to  Christ,  or  he  as  having  ac¬ 
cepted  them  to  bear  their  penalty.  Sometimes  the  civil  or 
commercial  law  furnishes  the  analogy ;  and  then  our  sins, 
being:  taken  as  a  debt,  Christ  offers  himself  as  a  ransom 
for  us.”  The  whole,  however,  resolves  itself  under  this 
head,  into  a  theory  or  speculation  on  government  ;  but  all 
analogies  from  human  governments  are  imperfect,  and  if 
pushed  too  far,  create  false  and  injurious  impressions.  The 
case  of  Zaleucus  and  his  son,  for  example,  though  affect¬ 
ing  enough,  and  in  one  or  two  points,  good  for  an  illustra¬ 
tion,  after  all,  has  no  just  analogy  here,  and  we  dismiss  it 
as  willingly  as  Dr.  B.  Civil  and  commercial  transactions 
cannot  certainly  form  any  just  and  adequate  parallel  in 
such  a  case,  and  so  we  abandon  them  also.  The  atone¬ 
ment  of  Christ  assuredly  has  nothing  in  it  akin  to  com- 


68 


THEORY  OF 


merce  or  trade.  But  the  ritual  law  of  the  ancient  dispen¬ 
sation — which  Dr.  B.  couples  with  these  cases  of  false 
analogy — the  offering  of  sacrifice,  and  the  shedding  of 
blood,  do  supply  some  just  analogies  in  the  case,  for  they 
were  selected  by  God  for  this  express  purpose.  But  their 
import  certainly  is  neither  difficult  nor  recondite.  Nor  is  it 
the  philosophy  of  the  transaction,  but  rather  its  moral  im¬ 
port  which  they  indicate.  They  discover  not  the  philoso¬ 
phy,  but  the  fact  of  propitiation  in  its  relations  to  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  God  and  to  the  conscience  of  the  sinner.  The 
true  meaning  of  sacrifice  we  must  get  in  Christ  himself. 

One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  God  has  a  government 
over  man.  The  Law  is  sacred.  It  cannot  be  violated 
with  impunity.  And  if  Christ  himself  comes  under  it,  he 
must  suffer.  What  he  suffered  no  tongue  can  express. 
But  he  suffered  as  the  innocent  for  the  guilty,  the  just  for 
the  unjust ;  and  in  our  view  the  whole  subject,  in  its  in¬ 
terior  depths,  and  especially  in  its  divine  and  governmental 
relations,  is  a  profound  mystery.  Speculation  and  philos¬ 
ophy  are  at  utter  fault  here.  The  case  is  peculiar.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  universe  like  it.  It  cannot,  it  must  not 
be  judged  by  human  analogies.  And  it  is  just  on  this 
ground  that  we  find  fault  with  some  of  Dr.  B.’s  specula¬ 
tions.  Because  human,  that  is,  limited  and  imperfect  gov¬ 
ernments,  which  owe  allegiance  to  a  higher  Power,  and 
have  no  right,  therefore,  to  make  any  change  or  modifica¬ 
tion  in  their  administration,  to  save  the  condemned  criminal 
from  the  punishment  which  he  has  justly  merited,  and 
cannot,  therefore,  accept  of  any  substitute,  he  infers,  rea- 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


69 


soning  from  an  analogy  which  he  himself  confesses  im¬ 
perfect,  that  the  government  of  God  cannot  do  so  Because 
man  cannot,  or  must  not,  (that  is  the  premise.)  therefore  (such 
is  the  conclusion.)  Jehovah  cannot !  If  that  is  not  a  spe¬ 
cimen  of  false  logic  we  know  not  what  is.  May  we  not 
venture,  even,  to  call  it  a  “  wooden  dogma?” 

We  ourselves  take  the  ground,  and  take  it  cheerfully, 
that  human  governments  transcend  their  powefs  when 
they  remit  punishment  where  it  is  deserved ,  or  in  any  case 
whatever,  accept  of  a  substitution,  as,  for  example,  the  father 
for  the  child,  or  the  child  for  the  father ;  and  for  this  simple 
reason,  that  they  are  amenable  to  a  higher  Power,  that  is, 
to  God,  the  final,  absolute  authority  in  the  universe.  But 
to  assume  that  in  no  case,  of  which  He  alone  is  the  compe¬ 
tent  judge,  the  infinite  God  himself  can  remit  punish¬ 
ment,  or  accept  a  substitute  provided  and  approved  by  him¬ 
self.  is  unfounded  and  presumptuous.  It  is  going  beyond 
the  record.  It  is  even  going  bejmnd  common  sense. 

But  God  himself,  says  Dr.  B.,  (p.226)  is  “obedient  to 
law.”  Yes,  and  that  admission  is  of  immense  importance; 
for  it  is  on  that  ground  that  he  cannot  and  will  not  remit  the 
penalty  of  transgression,  except  by  some  new  and  unheard 
of  method,  by  which  eternal  justice  may  be  maintained, 
while  pardon  and  salvation  are  conferred  upon  the  peni¬ 
tent.  “  For  what  the  law  could  not  do  in  that,  it  was 
weak  through  the  flesh,  God  sending  his  own  Son,  in  the 
likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin  condemned  sin  in  the 
fleshy  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in 
us.  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh  but  after  the  Spirit. 


70 


THEORY  OF 


This,  however,  is  a  question  of  fact.  God  has  remitted 
the  penalty  on  the  behalf  of  all  believing  penitents,  and  re¬ 
mitted  it,,  because  u  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to 
the  Scriptures.” 

If,  therefore,  any  one  shall  say  that  the  transaction 
takes  hold  of  the  great  principles  of  the  Divine  government, 
and  upholds  eternal  justice  as  well  as  eternal  love,  what  has 
Dr.  B.,  or  any  other  man,  who  reveres  the  Bible,  to  object  ? 

But  we  will  not  permit  ourselves  to  speculate  upon  the 
subject.  Enough  for  us  to  know  that  God  himself  has 
found  an  atonement,  on  the  ground  of  which  he  can  be 
just,  and  yet  justify  the  ungodly ;  yes,  “set  him  right  be¬ 
fore  the  government  of  God”  on  his  simple  faith,  and  be¬ 
fore  he  has  done  a  single  thing  to  merit  the  Divine  favor ! 

But  we  return  to  Dr.  B.’s  theory,  and  will  endeavor  to 
show  wherein  it  differs  from  the  common  orthodox  view, 
and  wherein  it  differs  from  the  Word  of  God.  He  as¬ 
sumes  that  Christ  did  not  suffer  in  any  proper  sense,  as  a 
substitute  for  the  guilty  ;  that  his  death  had  no  special  re¬ 
lation  to  the  divine  government,  in  satisfying  the  justice  of 
God,  that  it  had  no  effect  in  itself,  and  irrespective  of  its 
subjective  influence  upon  the  sinner,  in  procuring  the  re¬ 
mission  of  sins ;  that  it  was  not  a  proper  atonement  or  ex¬ 
piation,  and  possessed  no  sacrificial  character,  except  as  a 
matter  of  form  ;  and  that  consequently  the  atonement  is, 
strictly  speaking,  subjective,  and  consists  in  the  reconcili¬ 
ation  of  the  sinner  to  God,  and  his  restoration  to  purity 
and  happiness. 

In  opposition  to  which,  the  Word  of  God  plainly  teaches 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


71 


and  all  evangelical  Christians  believe,  that  Christ  is  a  true 
propitiation  for  our  sins,  that  he  suffered,  the  just  for  the 
unjust,  that  he  endured  the  curse  that  we  might  be, deliv¬ 
ered  from  its  influence ;  in  other  words,  that  in  some  im¬ 
portant  sense,  not,  perhaps,  fully  explained,  he  suffered 
as  our  substitute,  and  that  on  this  ground,  the  government 
of  God  is  vindicated,  and  a  basis  laid  for  extending  pardon, 
justification,  and  eternal  life  to  all  who  believe.  His  death, 
therefore,  did  possess  a  sacrificial  or  expiatory  character, 
and  the  atonement  is  not  only  subjective  in  its  ends,  but 
objective  in  its  very  nature  and  essence,  and  it  is  for  this 
reason,  and  not  simply  from  association  of  ideas,  that  we 
trust  in  Christ,  confide  in  his  merits,  and  plead  his  blood. 

If  Dr.  B.  replies  that  the  idea  of  such  substitution  in¬ 
volves  an  act  of  injustice — that  it  is  the  endurance  of 
u  evil  as  evil,”  or  “  the  direct  and  simple  substitution  of 
evil  for  evil,”  we  reply,  be  it  so.  For  afier  all,  the  suffer¬ 
ings  and  death  of  Christ  look  amazingly  like  the  endur¬ 
ance  of  u  evil  for  evil,”  or  rather  the  endurance  “of  evil” 
for  good  ;  so  that  the  a  evil”  which  ought  to  have  come 
upon  us,  came  upon  him ;  and  we  run  no  risk  of  error,  in 
speaking  of  Christ,  or  relying  upon  Christ,  as  the  soul’s 
“  expiation,”  not  simply  as  a  figure  or  a  form,  but  as  a  re¬ 
ality  and  a  fact.  But  what  are  we  saying  or  admitting? 
An  act  of  injustice !  The  atoning  sacrifice  of  Christ  an 
act  of  injustice  ?  The  substitution  of  the  Lamb  of  God 
instead  of  the  guilty  and  the  perishing  an  act  of  injustice? 
To  whom  ?  To  what  ?  To  God  ?  Was  he  not  in  it  ? 
To  man?  Is  he  not  saved  by  it?  To  the  law?  Is 


72 


THEORY  OF 


it  not  magnified  and  made  honorable  by  means  of  it?  In¬ 
justice  !  No !  no  !  There  is  no  injustice  here  ;  but  the 
highest  justice,  the  most  amazing  goodness,  the  most 
transcendent  grace. 

But  we  will  prove  that  it  is  no  injustice  by  Dr.  B.’s  own 
wmrds,  who,  forgetting  his  theories  and  objections,  speaks 
thus  of  the  death  and  passion  of  him  whom  he  had  proved 
not  only  innocent,  but  even  Divine  !  “  Come,’1  says  he, 

(p.  215)  ‘:to  the  spectacle  of  Christ’s  suffering  life  and 
death,  as  to  a  mystery  wholly  transcendent,  save  in  what 
it  expresses  of  divine  feeling.  Call  what  of  this  feeling 
you  receive  the  reality — all  else  the  Machina  Dei  for  the 
expression  of  this.  With  deepest  reverence  of  soul,  ap¬ 
proach  that  most  mysterious  sacrament  of  love,  the  agony 
of  Jesus ;  note  the  patience  of  his  trial,  the  meekness  of 
his  submission  to  injustice,  and  the  malignant  passions 
of  his  enemies  ;  behold  the  creation  itself  darkening  and 
shuddering  with  a  horror  of  sensibility  at  the  scene  trans¬ 
piring  in  his  death;  hear  the  cry  of  the  crucified:  ‘Fa¬ 
ther,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do 
then  regard  the  Life  that  was  manifested  dropping  into 
cessation,  and  thereby  signifying  the  deposit  of  itself  in 
the  bosom  of  that  malign  world,  to  whose  enmity  it  was 
yielded.” 

Nay,  more  than  this,  Dr.  B.  represents  Christ  as  actually 
“  interrupting  the  flow  of  justice  by  delivering  men,  or  as¬ 
sisting  them  to  deliver  themselves  from  the  penal  conse¬ 
quences  of  transgression  ” — ■“  coming  under  the  desecrated 
law  of  God” — doing  and  suffering  this  as  God — “God 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


73 


manifest  in  the  flesh,”  and  thus  “signifying  to  mankind 
the  self-renouncing  and  sublime  obedience  of  the  divine  na¬ 
ture” — enduring  unutterable  agony,  to  vindicate  his  law, 
and  reach  the  hearts  of  his  creatures — “yielding  his  Life, 
as  a  contribution  from  God  to  the  pacification  and  recon¬ 
struction  of  his  realm ;  and,  finally,  taking  the  attitude  of 
submission  to  evil.” 

“May  I,”  says  he,  p.  241,  and  here  is  his  grand  admis¬ 
sion,  and  our  principal  proof  of  most  of  the  positions  we  have 
taken,  “  May  I,  without  defect  of  reverence,  express  the 
deeper  truth,  that  which  is  the  appalling  mystery  of 
God  in  Jesus  Christ — mystery,  yet  philosophy,  of  the  di- 
vinest  work  of  God,  called  redemption,  the  King  Himself 
here  takes  the  attitude  of  submission  to  evil.*  Requiring 
of  us  to  vanquish  wrong  by  a  patient  submission  thereto, 
he  does  it,  not  as  duty  or' wisdom  only  for  us,  but  because 
it  is  a  first  law  of  power  that  a  malignant,  or  bad  spirit, 
will  soonest  yield  to  endurance,  and  is  least  of  all  able  to 
endure  the  meekness  of  love.  Observing  this  just  truth 
himself,  the  divine  Word  is  incarnated  in  the  form  of  a  ser¬ 
vant,  moving  here  upon  the  heart  of  evil  from  a  point  be¬ 
low  it,  attacking  sin,  not  by  penalties  only,  but  by  submis¬ 
sion  rather.  The  malign  spirit  rises,  bursting  forth  in  a 
storm  of  deadly  violence  against  his  person.  The  only  per¬ 
fect  being  that  ever  lived  in  the  flesh,  he  became  the  most 
insulted  and  abused  being.  But,  loaded  as  he  is  with  insult, 
and  dragged  out  to  die,  he  bears  the  concentrated  venom 


*  The  italics  are  ours. 

7 


74 


THEORY  OF 


of  his  persecutors  with  a  lamb’s  patience,  makes  no  an¬ 
swer,  replies  no  taunt,  complains  of  no  severity.  We  see 
him,  in  fact,  descending  below  oar  malignity ,  that  it  may 
break  itself  against  his  divine  patience.  He  outreaches,  by 
his  love,  the  measure  of  our  animosities — the  wrong  will  in 
us,  all  the  malignities  of  our  devilish  passion,  feel  them¬ 
selves  outdone.  The  submission  of  the  Word  fairly  broke 
its  spirit,  and  ever  since  that  day  has  it  been  falling  visibly 
as  Lucifer  from  heaven.” 

That  there  is  nothing  in  the  atonement  of  the  nature  of 
“  vindictive  punishment,”  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  or,  that 
Jesus  Christ  did  not,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  suffer,  in  the 
proper  and  absolute  sense  of  that  expression,  the  penalty  of 
the  law,  which  is  death  eternal,  we  have  already  admitted  ; 
but  that  his  sufferings,  awful,  mysterious,  transcendent, 
are  a  substitution  for  ours,  an  equivalent  for  the  absolute 
punishment  of  sin,  and,  therefore,  a  real  satisfaction  in 
law,  who,  after  reading  Dr.  B.’s  admissions,  first,  as  to 
the  teachings  of  the  Scripture  in  regard  to  what  he  calls 
11  the  Altar  Form”  of  the  doctrine,  and  then  as  to  the  ac¬ 
tual  sufferings  of  Christ,  whom  he  describes  as  even  more 
divine  than  human,  can  hesitate  to  admit?  Ah!  it  is  in 
perusing  the  plain,  artless  descriptions  of  Holy  Writ,  or,  in 
gazing,  in  mute  adoration,  upon  the  suffering  Saviour  in 
Gethsemane,  or  upon  the  cross,  that  we  lose  sight  of  our 
philosophical  speculations,  and  feel  through  all  our  souls, 
that  he  suffered  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin. 

After  what  we  have  said,  it  seems  quite  unnecessary 
further  to  take  up  Dr.  B.’s  objective,  ritualistic,  or  Altar 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


75 


Form  of  the  atonement;  for  that  falls  to  the  ground  as  a 
matter  of  course,  and,  indeed,  it  is  a  speculation  so  com¬ 
pletely  intangible  and  extravagant,  as  scarcely  to  deserve 
attention.  Indeed,  it  amounts,  as  we  have  seen,  to  a  de¬ 
nial  of  the  doctrine  of  atonement. 

But  Dr.  B.  admits  that  sacrifices  were  of  divine  origin, 
and  that  they  prefigured  the  atonement.  He  admits,  also, 
that  the  apostles,  even  when  rejecting  the  ritual  of  the  Old 
Testament  Scripture,  as  done  away,  or,  rather,  as  fulfilled 
in  Christ,  yet  persisted  in  describing  the  atonement  as  a 
sacrifice,  or  a  propitiation.  He  mistakes,  however,  in  af¬ 
firming  that  those  ancient  sacrifices  prefigured  life ,  rather 
than  death ;  that  the  blood  being  sacred,  and  regarded  as 
the  life  of  the  animal,  was  shed,  to  adumbrate,  in  a  mystic 
way,  the  communication  of  life,  by  means  of  the  atone¬ 
ment,  rather  than  the  atonement  itself.  Such  an  expla¬ 
nation  is  exceedingly  far-fetched,  and  unsatisfactory.  That 
a  bloody  sacrifice,  or  a  whole  burnt-offering  should  prefig¬ 
ure  the  infusion,  or  the  communication,  from  God,  of  life  to 
the  soul  of  man,  is  preposterous.  The  simple  fact  is,  these 
ancient  sacrifices  were  sacrifices  of  expiation,  sacrifices  for 
sin;  in  other  words,  sacrifices  for  atonement  and  reconcili¬ 
ation.  The  death  of  the  animal,  and  the  sprinkling  of  its 
blood,  not  upon  the  individual  offering  it,  but  upon  the  mercy 
seat ,  shadowed  forth  the  fact,  that  by  virtue  of  the  divine 
appointment,  sacrifice  or  expiation  availed  for  the  pacification 
of  justice ,  and  the  pardon  of  the  offender.  Hence,  the  sins 
of  the  people  were  confessed  upon  the  head  of  the  victim ; 
or  when  two  victims  were  used,  as  on  the  great  day  of 


76 


THEORY  OF 


atonement,  the  sins  of  the  people  were  put  upon  the  head 
of  the  one  which  was  carried  far  into  the  wilderness,  while 
the  other  was  slain,  and  its  blood  sprinkled,  by  the  High 
Priest,  upon  the  mercy  seat ;  thus  signifying  the  great 
fact  or  principle,  that  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  Christ, 
sin  is  forgiven  or  borne  away,  never  again  to  be  charged, 
never  again  to  be  remembered.  Referring  to  this  very  fact, 
in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  the  apostle  adds :  “  So  once 
in  the  end  of  the  world  hath  Christ  appeared  to  put  away 
(bear  away)  sin,  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself,  and  unto  them 
that  look  for  him,  shall  he  appear  the  second  time  without 
sin  unto  salvation  and,  on  the  same  principle,  John  the 
Baptist  points  to  Jesus  Christ  as  “  the  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  (beareth  away)  the  sin  of  the  world.” 

This,  then,  is  the  mysterious,  but  all-glorious,  all-trans¬ 
forming  fact  of  the  Gospel ;  that  by  his  obedience  unto 
death,  Jesus  Christ  has  “  brought  in  everlasting  righteous¬ 
ness,”  which  is  uunto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  believe.” 
Here  the  weary,  trembling  spirit  finds  rest.  Here  come  the 
penitent  of  all  ages,  prophets,  apostles,  martyrs,  kings, 
priests,  peasants,  philosophers — all  come  here,  not  to  some 
sacrificial  form,  but  to  Jesus  Christ  himself,  whose  blood 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.  Around  this  true  and  living  sacri¬ 
fice  cluster  the  universal  church,  the  redeemed  on  earth, 
and  the  redeemed  in  heaven,  evermore  singing  the  new 
song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 

Here,  then,  we  cry  out  with  Dr.  B.,  meeting  him  once 
more  on  practical  ground,  and  bending  in  reverence  before 
the  Cross  of  Christ,  “What  infinite  pains  does  he  take 


THE  ATONEMENT. 


77 


to  bring  down  His  love  to  us  !”  Here,  O  sacred  mystery ! 
he  opens  to  us  the  depths  of  his  heart,  penetrated  with  the 
love  and  sorrow  of  the  one  great  sacrifice  for  sin.  Here  he 
unites  himself  to  our  wretchedness,  and  takes  us  to  his  bo¬ 
som.  O  that  we  understood  it  as  we  ought,  and  felt  its 
transforming  power !  In  order  to  which,  let  us  pray  with 
the  Apostle  Paul,  that  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Father  of  Glory,  may  give  unto  us  the  spirit  of  wisdom 
and  revelation  in  the  knowledge  of  him ;  the  eyes  of  our 
understanding  being  enlightened,  that  we  may  know  what 
is  the  hope  of  his  calling,  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory 
of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what  is  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  his  power  to  us  ward  who  believe,  according 
to  the  working  of  his  mighty  power  which  he  wrought  in 
Christ  when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at 
his  own  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all 
principality,  and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every 
other  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also 
in  that  which  is  to  come,  and  hath  put  all  things  under 
his  feet,  and  given  him  to  be  the  head  over  all  things  to  the 
Church,  which  is  his  body,  the  fullness  of  him  that  filleth 
all  in  all. 

And  now  to  the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  be  glory 
and  majesty,  dominion  and  power,  both  now  and  ever. 
Amen. 


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Theophany; 


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